Unforgivable
by SweetMemories1998
Summary: A missing child. A prophecy. Two siblings, born from light and darkness. Nothing will be the same after Juvia reveals the truth about her past, damaging her relationship with Gray. Meanwhile, Lucy struggles with a family secret and one night causes unexpected consequences for Jellal and Erza. How will they survive Zeref's ultimate plan? (Also NaLu, GaLe, Lyredy and AlBis) (GMG)
1. Scarlet Betrayal

**Hey, everyone.**

 **So, this one-shot, originally called What Had To Be Done, was my prompt for day 2 of Gruvia Week 2018: Misunderstanding.**

 **In the end, after a request from glodenglowingsnowdemon, I decided to turn it into a multi-chapter story. Now, let's make a few things clear before we go on with the story:**

 **1- This will be a short story. 15 chapters AT MOST.**

 **2-Updates won't be frequent, I'm afraid. Demons is still my priority and I have a few one-shots planned, so I can't promise weekly updates for this story. Since I've already written up till chapter 4, the first few chapters should be posted by the end of June, but after that I don't know. Hope you can understand that.**

 **3-The pairings included here will be Gruvia, Jerza and whatever couples you might request. So let me know who you'd like me to include.**

 **Original Summary:** Gray didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to face the truth that was right in front of him, because it was too hard. He stared at her in disbelief, eyes drawn to the bloody knife on her shaky hands and for a moment he worried that she might use it on him. Was this his fault? Had he broken her so much that she decided to work for Zeref? (For Gruvia Week)

 **WARNING:** **This contains mentions of** **MURDER** **and** **SUICIDE** **. Therefore be cautious when reading.**

 **Enjoy! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.**

* * *

 _"Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of the Fairy Tail Mages!"_

-Makarov Dreyar

* * *

"You're working for Zeref." Gray didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to face the truth that was right in front of him, because it was hard. Harder than finding out that his parents had died on that awful night, or watching Ur sacrifice herself for him. No, this was so much worse.

He stared at the woman in front of him; her long blue hair was let down and she wore a beautiful gown. It used to be the color of the sky, but now there were red stains. Blood; he had noted.

Her shaky hands held onto the knife and for a moment he worried that she was going to use it on him.

"No." Juvia shook her head, tears streaming down her face and he was confused. Why was she the one crying? She had betrayed him. If anyone should be upset now, it's him.

"There's no use in denying it, Juvia. I'm not stupid." That wasn't entirely true. He had been stupid, and blind. His love for her had blinded him to the truth and now someone else had to pay for it. He really didn't know how he hadn't figured it out before, all the signs had been there.

The first one was a few days after they had gotten together, while they were training for the Grand Magic Games. She disappeared for a whole day and he had been worried sick. When she came back that night, she made up some excuse that the others were quick to believe, but not him. Gray always knew when she was lying, or at least he had thought so.

Then, on the second day of the Games, he heard Gajeel saying that he had seen her talking to a strange person, someone he didn't recognise. They had assumed it was perhaps a fan of hers, because Juvia had become quite popular ever since they returned from Tenrou Island.

She had made many pose ups for Sorcerer Weekly and after her relationship with Gray went public, the two of them became the it couple of Fiore. Only Sherry and Ren and topped them off.

On the night that Lucy was kidnapped after they found out about the Eclipse Gate, Juvia didn't seem as surprised as everyone else. Instead, her face showed sadness and guilt. Gray was suspicious, but once he asked her about it, she denied.

Later that night he had caught her talking to the same strange woman with long black hair and golden horns adorning her head. Natsu had been with him and he was able to overhear some of the conversation. All he was able to catch was the woman's threat to Juvie, before she suddenly disappeared. The words she spoke made him feel uneasy and he didn't like it one bit. "It must be done by midnight tomorrow, unless you wish for him to be harmed."

Gray knew that the woman was talking about him, but Juvia once again denied it when he asked. She told another lie; that the woman used to be a member of Phantom Lord and was trying to blackmail her in order to get money. Gray didn't know why he believed it, but he had trusted her. He loved her, after all, and he knew she loved him back, so there was no reason not to.

"I can't believe I trusted you." It was his turn to shake his head before he gazed at the body on the grass.

They were in the middle of the labyrinth consisting of the Palace Gardens and it was the night of the Grand Ball, as they had called it. A victory party to celebrate the defeat of the greatest threat to the kingdom of Fiore in centuries: the sudden reappearance of dragons about a week ago.

Most wizards were inside the palace; drinking, dancing and having fun. Gray had been having a great time with his friends, but then Gajeel told him he was worried about Juvia's disappearance, making the ice mage worried himself. They had agreed to meet at the party, yet over one hour had passed and she hadn't showed up.

So the two of them had teamed up to look for her and the dragon slayer had led them to their worst nightmare. They found her standing in front of the body, dress covered in blood and a knife in her hands. To say they were surprised was an understatement; they had never imagined she could be capable of murder.

Gajeel had stayed hidden, giving Gray the opportunity to confront her. He now wished he hadn't.

"I'm so sorry." Juvia was still crying as she let go of the knife. "I didn't... I didn't want it to end like this."

"Neither did I." He couldn't stay there anymore, couldn't look her in the eye. So he turned around with a sigh and began walking away.

"Wait." She called for him and he didn't stop. "At least let me explain." She sounded so sad, so broken. Not what you'd expect from someone who had just betrayed the person they loved.

"I don't think I want to hear it." Gray would never admit it, but he was afraid. He feared the reason she had chosen to change sides is because of him. Because of the way he had treated her before they got together, constantly ignoring her advances. What if he had broken her so much that she decided to work for Zeref?

"Still, you deserve an explanation." Juvia said and he froze. For a few moments, there was only silence as he considered his options. Should he hear her out? Or should he just walk away and save himself the heartache of knowing he was the reason she became evil?

He didn't have a chance to decide, for Gajeel chose that moment to come out of hiding. "You'd better have a very good explanation for this mess!" He glared at her and Juvia's eyes widened once she saw him. Sighing once again, Gray turned around and walked back to her.

"Why did you kill her?" He asked, glancing towards the body once again. Her hair was the same color as the blood that filled her dress and her big, brown eyes stared at them; a look of surprise forever etched on her face. Erza Scarlet was dead.

"I didn't want to." The water mage quickly said, her expression sorrowful. "But I didn't have a choice."

"Don't give me that crap! You're the one who loved reminding me that we always have a choice." Gajeel snapped and Gray wondered why he hadn't. He knew that he should be angry at her, but all he felt was sadness.

"Not in this case." Juvia replied before taking a deep breath. "I'm not working for Zeref." They stared at her, eyebrows raised.

"Seriously, you won't even admit it?" Now he was getting angry.

"I would never betray you like that." She firmly told them and Gajeel laughed without humour.

"Now that's rich." He shook his head while the ice mage remained frozen.

"You killed Erza. Don't you consider that a betrayal?" He reminded her.

"I was forced to do that after I found out..." She paused.

"What?" Gajeel asked, raising a brow while still looking furious.

"She was working for them." Their expressions didn't change.

"Do you seriously expect us to believe that?" Gray asked.

"I'm not saying she was a spy, but they were using her. Ever since the tower of Heaven, when they realized that she could be a great asset. So they placed a tracker inside of her; one that couldn't be removed even with magic. It allowed them to know everything they needed about Fairy Tail. They've been spying on us this whole time, just waiting for the perfect moment to make a move." She paused before looking back at Erza's immobile body.

"And that moment was tonight. They were going to destroy us by using Erza. They told me that they had developed the tracker so that it could be used to control her. I know Erza wouldn't have wanted that, so I did the only thing I could think of to stop them."

"You could have told us." Gray said after a few moments of silence. He was unsure whether or not to believe her, after all, she had lied to them about so much.

"Then they'd have killed you." Juvia replied calmly.

"Wait a second, why do you keep saying say 'them'? Weren't you talking about Zeref?" Gajeel quickly noted.

"They work for Zeref; they are his greatest allies." She took another deep breath before revealing a truth that could get them all killed. "Tartarus." Their eyes widened once they recognized the name of the dark guild.

"Tartarus?" Gray repeated, disbelief crossing his face.

"Yes. I managed to infiltrate their guild a few weeks ago." Their jaws dropped.

"Infiltrate?" Gray was having a hard time understanding what was going on. It seemed as if his brain decided to go on vacations.

"How?" Gajeel asked.

"It was Jellal's idea." She replied. "During the past seven years he found out that my mother had been a member of Tartarus until her death when I was five. Him and Ultear figured I might be able to infiltrate their guild and they were right. It took a while for them to trust me, but I managed to convince them that I had changed sides."

"So you've been pretending to work for them while trying to figure out their plan?" Juvia nodded. It was so unbelievable and yet, they believed her. Because they knew Juvia Lockser and the lengths she'd go to protect the people she loved.

"That's insane!" Gajeel stared at her in disbelief.

"You could've gotten yourself killed." Gray shook his head.

"It was a risk I was willing to take." A guilty look came upon her face. "I'm sorry I did this behind your back, but I didn't want to involve anyone else in this mess." He understood; if he was the one facing this situation, he'd have done the same.

"I understand." Gray paused. "But still, I don't think I can forgive you." She nodded sadly.

"I don't expect you to. I know that I'll never forgive myself for this, but it had to be done." She looked back at the body before kneeling down.

"You're an idiot." Gajeel said, frustrated. "You should have told us."

"If I did, they'd have killed you." She repeated. There was fear in her eyes and also sadness, regret. Gray had never been more sure in his life that she was telling the truth. But still, the question remained, could he forgive her after what she had done?

"Maybe. Or maybe we would've found a way to stop them and Erza wouldn't be dead." Erza had been like a sister to him, one of his best friends.

"I didn't want to risk it, all I wanted was to keep you safe." Juvia said before pausing as tears streamed down her face. "But I failed and now it's too late." Before either of them could understand what was happening, she had grabbed the knife from the floor and held it against her neck.

"No!" Gray screamed, taking a step towards her. He wouldn't let her do this. No matter how angry he was or how hard this was, he couldn't deny the fact that he still loved her. Even if she had been working for Tartarus, these feelings wouldn't go away so easily and Gray knew that there would be no pain worse than that of losing her.

"Don't do this." Gajeel pleaded. Juvia looked at them; so broken and so sad.

"I'm sorry. So sorry." She said while a shaky hand held the knife. "I don't want to do this, but it's too late for me now. They know I lied and they are coming after me."

"I won't let them hurt you, I promise." Gray took a few slow steps towards her. " I'll protect you." There was no way he'd let these monsters harm her. They were the ones responsible for this mess, he reminded himself. They had forced her to kill Erza, they gave her no alternative. They were the ones who needed to pay.

"That's the problem." Juvia sniffed, trying to stop the tears. "I can't let you get hurt because of me." He almost felt like laughing at the irony of the situation; wasn't it only a few days before when he was the one putting himself in danger to save her?

"Losing you will be worse than anything they could do to me." It was the truth. In that moment, Gray realized that even losing Erza couldn't compare to it. So he knew that, even though it might take time, he would forgive Juvia. He couldn't keep hating her for doing exactly what he would have done if he was in her place.

"But at least you'll be safe. They'll have no reason to hurt you if I'm not here." Juvia bit her lip as the knife inched closer to her neck, enough to draw blood. He started getting desperate.

"Please, Juvia." By then he was right in front of her and he knelt down. "Stay. Let me help you fight against them." Gajeel nodded, a furious look coming upon her face. He watched them silently, knowing that if someone could stop her from killing herself, it would be Gray.

"You can't. They're too dangerous; they'll get us killed." There was fear in her eyes, like he had never seen before.

"We won't let that happen." The ice mage took the hand that wasn't holding the knife and squeezed it. "We'll find a way to defeat them and Zeref. I promise you." He saw hesitation cross her face, but she didn't let go of the knife.

"I lost you once." Juvia gulped as memories of his death crossed her mind. "I can't go through that again."

"You won't have to, because I won't leave you again." He gazed into her eyes, letting her see the sincerity in his. "I love you, so please let go of the knife." He was filled with relief when her shaky hand finally let go of the weapon before falling to her lap. Gray wasted no time closing the space between them before taking her in his arms.

For a few minutes, he let her cry in his chest while he held onto her and whispered comforting words in her ear. They were so lost in each other that they didn't notice the moment Lucy, Natsu, Wendy and Levy joined them. They didn't hear the shocked gasps as the newcomers noticed the body on the ground or the thousand questions they directed at Gajeel, who didn't say anything.

Juvia pulled apart from the hug and attempted to dry her tears. "I'm sorry." She repeated as her eyes focused on him.

"It's okay." He whispered, a hand gently stroking her cheek.

"I love you too." A small smile graced his features before he leaned in. Her arms quickly wrapped around his neck and she brought him closer before they kissed. It was desperate and intense; she kissed him like it was the last time, tears still falling down her face.

"Seriously, what happened here?" Lucy asked after they pulled apart and the couple turned to her.

"It's a long story." Gray answered and Natsu raised a brow.

"We have time." He told them, crossing his arms.

"Okay." Juvia removed herself from Gray's arms and took a deep breath while she prepared to explain everything. He could tell she was nervous and scared, so he took her hand and squeezed it while giving her a reassuring look.

She was safe. No matter what happened, she was alright now and he vowed to keep it that way.

* * *

 **So, what did you think?**

 **Did you like my portrayal of Gray and Juvia? Do you think he should've forgiven her for killing Erza?**

 **Have a nice day, everyone!**


	2. Too Many Secrets

**Good morning, everyone.**

 **So, this one-shot, originally called What Had To Be Done, was my prompt for day 2 of Gruvia Week 2018: Misunderstanding.**

 **In the end, after a request from glodenglowingsnowdemon, I decided to turn it into a multi-chapter story. Now, let's make two things clear before we go on with the story:**

 **1- This will be a short story. 15 chapters AT MOST.**

 **2-Updates won't be frequent, I'm afraid. Demons is still my priority and I have a few one-shots planned, so I can't promise weekly updates for this story. Since I've already written up till chapter 4, the first few chapters should be posted by the end of June, but after that I don't know. Hope you can understand that. **

**3-The pairings included here will be Gruvia, Jerza and whatever couples you might request. So let me know who you'd like me to include.**

 **Original Summary:** Gray didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to face the truth that was right in front of him, because it was too hard. He stared at her in disbelief, eyes drawn to the bloody knife on her shaky hands and for a moment he worried that she might use it on him. Was this his fault? Had he broken her so much that she decided to work for Zeref? (For Gruvia Week)

 **WARNING:** **This contains mentions of** **MURDER** **and** **SUICIDE** **. Therefore, be cautious when reading.**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

 _"Comrades isn't simply a word. Comrades are about heart. It's the unconditional trust in your partners. Please, feel free to lean on me... and I, too, will lean on you as well."_

-Mavis Vermillion, as told by Warrod Seeken

* * *

 _Dorenbolt was in his office on the magic council's base; everything around him was messy. Papers were scattered everywhere, boxes took all the space and a few pictures had been thrown on the ground. He sat on a chair, staring at two different pictures; one from a newspaper and another from a file which consisted of a picture of a child._

 _"You're still here?" Lahar entered the office, giving him a disapproving look._

 _"I'm telling you, that's her." Dorenbolt replied and the former sighed._

 _"You need to let this go. This investigation has lead us no where." He took a few steps inside the office._

 _"Didn't you hear me? I've found her!" The agent stood up and tried to hand him the newspaper, to which he reluctantly accepted._

 _"Are you sure?" Lahar's eyes widened once he spotted the person on the picture whose head had been circled red._

 _"Look at the necklace. It's the same!" Dorenbolt then showed him the file where there was a picture of a young girl, no older than 5._

 _"But still, that doesn't mean that she's the one we've been looking for." The former said._

 _"It's been 20 years since she disappeared, Lahar. We'll never be sure, but I really believe that she's the one." The latter tried and Lahar sighed._

 _"So what do you suggest we do? You know she probably won't talk to us." A determined look came upon Dorenbolt's face._

 _"Then I'll just keep an eye on her, see if I can get more evidence." He pointed towards the girl's picture on the newspaper. "This girl is extremely important to us; she could help us find him. We can't give up, even if she won't admit that she's actually Juliet!"_

* * *

 _One month later…_

"Seriously, what happened here?" Lucy asked after Gray and Juvia pulled apart and the couple turned to her.

"It's a long story." The ice mage answered and Natsu raised a brow.

"We have time." He told them, crossing his arms.

"Okay." Juvia removed herself from Gray's arms and took a deep breath while she prepared to explain everything. He could tell she was nervous and scared, so he took her hand and squeezed it while giving her a reassuring look.

"Who killed Erza?" Levy asked and everyone glanced towards the lifeless body a few feet away.

"God, I don't think I can do this." Juvia was sobbing once again; guilt and regret increasing.

"Gray?" Lucy stared at the ice mage, hoping to get an answer.

"It's not what're you thinking." He replied while placing a comforting hand on Juvia's shoulder. "Come on, Juvia, tell them. They'll understand."

"Understand what?" Natsu asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Before anyone could say more, there was the sound of footsteps, making them tense. Soon enough, they were joined by three familiar figures wearing hoods.

"Ultear? What are you doing here?" Gray asked once she removed it; Meredy and Jellal doing the same.

"Oh My God!" The younger girl screamed, staring at Erza's body in shock.

"It seems as if you were right once again, Jellal." Ultear said, turning to the blue haired man whose face was devoid of color.

"Oh, no." Lucy whispered, remembering how much Erza meant to him.

"I am so sorry." Levy took a step forward and stared at him pitifully. He remained silent as multiple emotions crossed his face. Shock. Fear. Anger. Sadness.

"I didn't want to. Please, forgive me!" Juvia said before he could even react to seeing Erza's lifeless body. Then she was throwing herself in his arms while everyone stared in confusion and Jellal sighed before wrapping his arms around her.

"It's okay, it's not your fault." He comforted her, much to everyone's surprise. Lucy, Natsu, Levy and Wendy were still shocked to learn that Juvia had been the one to end Erza's life. It was unbelievable, unthinkable and they were having a hard time understanding why she would do it.

"Should we tell her now?" Meredy whispered to Ultear, hoping no one would hear it, but the dragon slayers sure did.

"Let him do it." The older woman replied.

"I'm sorry, so sorry." Juvia was still sobbing and Jellal was still comforting her and it was making Gray feel a bit jealous.

He knew nothing was going on between these two; he would never doubt Juvia's love for him and Jellal had made his feelings for Erza quite clear, but it still bothered him to see her in another man's arms. Even after she had betrayed him.

"Will someone explain what the hell's going on here?" Natsu was getting impatient.

"It's a long story." Ultear replied.

"Wait, so you're in this too?" Lucy asked her, confused.

"It was your idea, wasn't it? I know Juvia said it was Jellal's, but that sounds more like something you'd come up with." Gray asked next and her eyes widened.

"Wait, so you know?" Meredy asked, shocked.

"I told him; I had to." They turned back to Juvia, who had just pulled away from the hug and was attempting to dry her tears.

"You shouldn't have. Now he's in danger." Ultear shook her head, a look of disappointment on her face.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do." The bluenette was clearly desperate.

"You should've contacted us. Why didn't you?" Jellal asked and the others chose to watch in silence and see if they could understand what had happened.

"I don't know." She looked away, biting her lip.

"This is such a mess!" Meredy said, exasperated. Now that was something they could all agree on.

"And there's no way to fix it. It's over." Juvia looked towards Erza and new tears threatened to fall. How could she possibly move on from this? Did she even deserve to? Even if she had done it to save everyone; that didn't make it okay.

"No, it's far from over." Jellal told her, determined.

"They already know what I did, so it's over for me." She replied.

"Don't say that. You know that I won't let them hurt you." This had everyone sharing confused looks.

"What's going on between you two?" Lucy asked, crossing her arms.

"I can't believe it! Are you cheating on Gray?" Levy's eyes were wide and she turned to the ice mage, who was tense.

"I would never!" Juvia shook her head, denying it.

"Like you'd never hurt Erza?" Gray bitterly asked, raising a brow.

"I thought you said that you already told him everything." Ultear was confused.

"Not everything. There are some things... I couldn't say." And his heart broke once again. Why didn't she trust him? He was her boyfriend, for Mavis' sake! He should be the one who she shared all her secrets with, not Jellal or Ultear.

"Well, you're gonna have to say them now because we're not leaving until we know the whole truth." Lucy told her, frustrated. She too was wondering why one of her closest friends would keep so many secrets from her.

"I can't! It's too dangerous!" Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"You've said that too many times and I don't care. Besides, if we're going up against Tartarus, we're gonna need all the help we can get." This had Levy's eyes widening once she recognized the dark guild's name.

"Tartarus? Remind me where I've heard that?" Natsu didn't have such a great memory.

"They're a dark guild, aren't they?" Even Wendy remembered it.

"Yes, alongside Grimoire Heart and the Oracion Seis, Tartarus was part of the Balam Alliance." Ultear explained and their eyes widened.

"Gajeel, why do you say we're going up against them?" Levy turned to the iron dragon slayer.

"You're not. This isn't your fight." Juvia answered instead.

"I agree. They shouldn't be involved in this." Ultear said and Gray scoffed.

"Seriously? You convinced my girlfriend to infiltrate them and you didn't want me to be involved?" This had everyone's eyes widening.

"Wait, what?" Lucy screamed at the same time as Levy whispered "Infiltrate?"

"Perhaps we should tell them after all." Jellal whispered, looking conflicted.

"If we don't, I'm sure Erza will." Meredy said, catching everyone's attention.

"And how exactly do you expect her to do that when she's dead?" Gajeel asked, raising a brow.

"She isn't." Jellal answered, looking at Juvia.

"She isn't?" The bluenette replied, eyes widening.

"I overheard one of them talking about their plans to get you to kill her." Her face lost all color.

"They lied, Juvia. They manipulated you; there was no tracker." Ultear said and she shook her head, disbelieving.

"No. They didn't lie, I found it." She fell to her knees, unable to keep standing.

"They wanted to eliminate her and they wanted you to do it." Jellal continued before kneeling down by her side. "But listen to me, none of this is your fault, okay? You were just trying to protect everyone like I knew you would." Once again, Gray was uncomfortable with how close they were.

"I can't do this anymore! It's too hard." Once again, the water mage broke down and Jellal wasted no time in comforting her.

It was clear that there was something going on between the two of them, but as for what, the others weren't sure.

* * *

"So Erza's okay?" While Juvia and Jellal were embracing, Natsu turned to Ultear, who nodded.

"Yes, she's safe. Jellal decided to use the illusion so that they wouldn't suspect anything." She motioned towards the lifeless body and Lucy and Levy let out relieved sighs.

"Thank goodness." The latter said.

"Where is she?" The dragon slayer asked and Meredy was the one to answer.

"We can't tell you that, it's not safe yet. We shouldn't have even said that she's alive." It was clear she was frustrated with the way things had gone, but it couldn't be undone.

"Juvia needed to know, we couldn't let her keep believing it." Ultear sighed, looking towards the crying bluenette.

"We should've never convinced her to infiltrate Tartaros. She always said she wanted to move on and we just ignored that." There was guilt in the pinkette's tone.

"She understood the risks, Meredy. They must be defeated." It was the former's reply.

"I know, but she didn't have to be the one to infiltrate. Jellal or you could've done it." Meredy argued.

"That's true. Why did you choose Juvia of all people?" Lucy asked and they shared a look.

"It's not our place to tell." Ultear replied and Gray spoke next.

"She already told me why, so I don't see why the others can't know." Before she could reply, the water mage spoke, still in Jellal's arms.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for everyone to know. It's so…complicated." She sniffled and the three members from Crime Sorciére gave her understanding looks.

"Complicated doesn't even begin to explain it." Ultear sighed.

"Complicated or not, I think at least I deserve to know the whole truth." The ice mage pushed and Jellal gave him a firm stare.

"You should respect her wishes." Gray's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" He couldn't deny, he was getting annoyed. Extremely annoyed.

"Don't." It seemed as if Jellal was about to say something, but Juvia stopped him.

"I'm sorry; I won't say anything." He remained silent after that and she removed her hand from his arm before standing up and turning around to face everyone.

"Please, can you just trust that I will tell you everything soon? I just need more time." Gray looked at those pleading blue eyes and sighed.

"I don't like that you're keeping secrets from me." She nodded before taking a few steps towards him.

"I know. And I'm so sorry I had to do that, but there are just some things that are too hard to share." He could understand that, considering how long it took him to tell her about Ur and his parents.

"Okay. But just know, whatever this is, won't change how I feel about you. Hell, if even after learning that you killed Erza I still love you, I don't think anything could change that." Many eyes widened at this sudden confession.

Even though they all knew that these two were together, no one had ever witnessed Gray telling her that he loved her.

"I love you too. Always have." She was close enough so that her arms could wrap around his neck and he quickly wrapped his own around her waist. Without a second thought, he lean it once she did the same. The passionate kiss they shared next brought smiles to most people's faces while Ultear's showed only regret.

"She really does love him." She whispered.

"Don't beat yourself up, Ultear. You were a different person back then." Meredy was quick to comfort her.

"I know, but that doesn't change what I did. What I had her do." They had walked away from the rest of the group and were talking in whispers, but still the dragon slayers caught their words.

"She didn't go through with it. And, honestly, I don't think Gray needs to know." Ultear nodded.

"This could destroy their relationship." The pinkette looked back at the couple.

"We can't let that happen. We promised to make up for our mistakes, so we need to protect Juliet." She froze as soon as the last word left her lips. The older woman looked back towards the group and her face paled once she realized Gajeel's eyes were widened.

"Juliet?" He whispered, confused, before sharing a look with Natsu.

"You shouldn't have said that, Meredy." Ultear scolded, exasperated.

"That's it! I am done staying in the dark. You will tell me everything, now!" Natsu took a step forward and commanded at the two women in the distance.

"Natsu, calm down." Lucy tried, holding onto his arms to stop him from going after them.

"What's going on?" Gray stared in confusion; him and Juvia had just pulled apart from their kiss.

"I overheard what you said and I want to know." The dragon slayer was still screaming at Ultear and Meredy, who decided to approach them.

"Why do I keep forgetting about dragon slayer hearing?" The former rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"What did you say?" Jellal turned to them, desperate; while Gajeel turned to Juvia, a firm look in his eyes.

"They called you Juliet. Is that your real name ?" After everything that he had learned that night, he wouldn't be surprised if she had lied about her name too.

"Ultear!" Juvia pulled away from Gray's embrace and took a step back before turning to the older woman in disbelief.

"It was me. I'm so sorry." Meredy pleaded and the bluenette shook her head.

"It's true, isn't it?" Gray realized, seeing as she wasn't denying it. "Damn it, Juvia! What haven't you lied to me about?" If only he knew the extent of her secrets, he might never be able to forgive her.

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **What did you think of Juvia's real name being Juliet? Why was Dorenbolt looking for her?**

 **And can you guess what her connection to Jellal is?**

 **By the way, I know Erza being alive kinda ruined the whole murder plot, but I couldn't bring myself to actually kill her. Besides, without her, many of the plots I have planned for this story wouldn't be the same.**

 **Next chapter:** The reason for Juvia's name change is explained, as well as her connection to Jellal and what drew them to grow closer ever since her return from Tenrou Island. Also, Erza returns with a HUGE secret that could change everything. (plenty of flashbacks + Kagura and Milliana will make an appearance)

 **PS: Don't forget to tell me what couples you'd like me to include!**

 **Can we try 4 reviews by June 16th?**


	3. An Unexpected Connection

**Hi, everyone! I am so happy that you guys liked the second chapter, I was unsure about turning this into a multi-chapter story, but your positive response helped me decide to keep this going.**

 **One thing that I want to address is: the summary. Right after I posted chapter 2, I realized that I hated it, since it only focused on Juvia and said nothing about other important characters. So I decided to make a new one, which I'm calling Attempt 2 (who knows how many times I might change it, I'm never satisfied with summaries).**

 **Anyways, I want to thank everyone who left a review and congratulate you for guessing what the connection between Jellal and Juvia is. As a reward, I have left a sneak peek of chapter 5, which will contain some interesting twists.**

 **Now, to the shoutouts:**

 **Allie: Ahh you flatter me. Thank you very much; I am glad you like my writing style and the plot. It wasn't easy coming up with it and knowing which plot twist to place when. In the end I decided to do one for each chapter, so you'll have new reveals every chapter.  
**

 **kaat: Congratulations on calling it. Doesn't the name fit her so well?  
**

 ** Guest: Thanks for leaving a comment. Also, congratulation on guessing Jellal and Juvia's connection. **

**lady9gruvia: Thanks for leaving a comment. Also, congratulation on guessing Jellal and Juvia's connection.  
**

 **Juvia Fulbuster: Don't worry, Jellal and Juvia's relationship here will be fully platonic. I have no romances planned involving these two. I hope it will get better once you read this chapter and understand why they're suddenly so close. And of course, don't worry cause we'll have plenty of Gruvia scenes here. ;)**

 **Happy reading, everyone! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.**

* * *

" _Those painful memories are what help us make it to tomorrow and become stronger."_

 **-Erza Scarlet**

* * *

 _Kagura stood outside of Mermaid Heel's guild hall, leaning against the balcony with her elbows while staring at the moon. It was full that night, shining so brightly and beautifully, but she didn't even notice. It had been years since the last time she'd actually payed attention to the moon or anything else, truthfully._

 _Her mind was programmed to think of only one two things: her brother and her revenge._

 _She had always wondered what had happened to Simon, since that fateful day in which their home was destroyed and everything fell apart. While Kagura managed to escape the horrible fate of the other children who lived in Rosemary Village, her life was no short of painful._

 _Years went by, searching for her lost brother, hoping that he was alright while constantly living with the guilt of having escaped. She never forgave herself for hiding when she should've gone looking for him._

 _But that was in the past, she didn't feel guilty anymore. All she felt was anger, because she'd learned from one of Simon's old friends, Milliana, that he had been murdered. Yes, her brother was dead and her entire quest to find him had been in vain._

 _There wasn't even a body for her to bury, he was just gone._

 _When she'd asked about the monster behind such cruelty, a name had been given: Jellal Fernandes. That was the man Kagura chose to hate, the person responsible for her unhappiness._

 _After learning this, she began looking for him instead, but if not even the Magic Council was able to locate him, what were her chances?_

 _"Kagura?" Hearing her name, she turned around, spotting Milliana standing by the door to the balcony._

 _"What's wrong?" The worried look on her friend's face unsettled Kagura._

 _"Nothing. It's just late." It was way past midnight, but she couldn't sleep. Not when there was a killer out there who needed to be brought to justice._

 _"I'm aware of that." She turned around and Milliana sighed before approaching her._

 _"You're still thinking about it, aren't you?" Kagura nodded._

 _"I'm always thinking about it." Silence fell upon them as she stared once again towards the moon. Instead of the big, white circle; her mind conjured Jellal's face. Then another, the face of a little girl who couldn't be older than five._

 _"We need to find Juliet." Milliana's face showed surprise."Why?"_

 _"She's our best chance at finding Jellal." Kagura replied._

 _"That's true. But I doubt she'll tell us where he is." The cat wizard concluded._

 _"We have to try. There's a chance she doesn't know of all the terrible things he's done, so we must tell her." Milliana voiced her concerns._

 _"And if she does? If she's helping him?" A hand reached for her archenemy sword while a cold look came upon Kagura's face._

 _"Then she will pay."_

* * *

 _2 years later…_

"Damn it, Juvia! What haven't you lied to me about?" The bluenette looked away, avoiding his angry eyes.

"Oh, no." Meredy whispered, sharing a worried look with Ultear.

"Why did you lie?" Sweet Wendy wondered, confused.

"Couldn't you trust us with your real name?" Lucy asked, raising a brow, before mentally scolding herself. She hadn't trusted them with her last name either, so she had no right to crucify her friend.

"I thought we were friends." Levy added, looking at Juvia sadly.

"I'm sorry. But I haven't used it in so long, sometimes I forget that Juvia Lockser is just an alias." It made sense; they thought. If she had changed her name so long ago, did she need to tell them the real one?

Yet, somehow, they had a feeling there was more to the story than simply changing her name.

"Why did you change it?" Gajeel asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I…" Jellal was the one who answered this one.

"It was necessary. She didn't want anyone to learn of her association to me, specially now that I'm known as a escaped convict." Juvia gave him a thankful look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu frowned in confusion.

"Why would the name 'Juliet' be associated with you?" Levy asked next while her mind came up with a million theories.

"It's not just the name, is it?" Lucy realized once she looked closely at Juvia and Jellal. She thought back to their behaviour ever since they returned from Tenrou Island and how they seemed to have grown a lot closer.

It didn't make sense why they would suddenly become such good friends when they had nothing in common except for Erza. The red head had many comrades, after all, and Juvia wasn't even the closest one, so for Jellal to suddenly take an interest in her; it wouldn't be about that.

Also, he had become rather protective of her lately, Lucy realized, something which had once led her to believe there might be something going on between the two. However, it was clear now that they weren't together in the romantic sense. No, their connection ran much deeper than any of them could've anticipated.

"What do you mean, Lucy?" Gray asked, clueless to the thoughts running through her head.

"My real name is Juliet Fernandes." Juvia answered with a sigh, earning shocked reactions from everyone who didn't know.

"Fernandes?" It took Natsu a while to get it, but when he did, his eyes widened.

"So you're Jellal's sister?" Wendy asked.

"Yes." The bluenette confirmed with a nod.

"How? Erza never mentioned it and she knew you since you were young." Gray wondered.

"Erza didn't know because I didn't know it myself." Jellal replied, making them even more confused.

"Jellal's memories were erased even before he was taken to the Tower of Heaven." Ultear explained this one.

"So he didn't know he had a sister?" Lucy asked, to which he confirmed with a nod.

"I only found out when all of my memories returned, six years ago." Remembering that moment, his face contorted with pain.

* * *

 _6 years before…_

 _Jellal sat down by a tree, head in his hands while he was overwhelmed with memories. Ultear and Meredy stood in front of him, worried._

 _It had been a few weeks since they had freed him and the three of them had been traveling around, no destination in mind._

 _For now they were staying at a small cottage in the middle of the woods; it was close to the once beautiful village of Antartica, which had been destroyed years ago by the demon Deliora. The house had been abandoned for years, but a few days before the three of them had found it and decided to settle there for awhile._

 _"How long will this last?" Meredy wondered and Ultear sighed._

 _"I don't know. Memory spells have never been my specialty." The blue haired man groaned and both frowned._

 _"It must be so difficult for him having to relive it all." The young girl said._

 _"It'll be even worse when he fully remembers Erza." Ultear said, a guilty look upon her face once she thought about all that she had put the poor man through._

 _"Oh, god! What will we tell him?" They had refrained themselves from telling him exactly what had happened with Erza Scarlet, knowing that even though Jellal didn't fully remember the woman, he still cared a lot about her._

 _They didn't want to break his heart, but if he remembered exactly who she had been and started asking questions, they wouldn't bring themselves to lie to him._

 _"Juliet." They turned to him just as he removed his hands, allowing them to notice that his eyes were wide in shock._

 _"Jellal?" Young Meredy took a step forward, kneeling down in front of him._

 _"I lost her." Ultear did the same before placing a hand on his shoulder._

 _"Who did you remember?" She asked, glancing at him worriedly._

 _"Juliet. My…. My sister. She was gone." Their eyes widened._

 _"A sister?" Meredy wondered, confused._

 _"That can't be right." Ultear removed her hand, staring at him in disbelief._

 _"I remember it now, she disappeared when I was 7. Before the tower; but someone erased my memories of her." Jellal frowned._

 _"Who would do that?" This question plagued his mind for the years to come, although he never got an answer._

* * *

"I'm so sorry. I should've told you much sooner." Juvia apologized upon seeing the look on her brother's face.

"So you did remember it." Gray turned to her.

"Yes, but I thought Jellal was dead. I only found out he was still alive when we were at the Tower Of Heaven." The mention of it made Lucy, Natsu and Ultear frown while the pain in Jellal's face intensified.

"Now I see." Levy nodded, understanding. She guessed it mustn't have been easy for Juvia to learn that her brother was evil (as he was back then) and that's probably why she had kept it to herself.

"Why didn't you tell him then? Maybe if he knew, he wouldn't have hurt the rest of us." Lucy asked, frustrated.

"Yeah, you could've convinced him to stop." Natsu agreed.

"I was still processing. It's not easy suddenly discovering that you have a brother and he's evil enough to take your friends hostage and try to revive the darkest wizard of all time." Juvia confirmed Levy's thoughts. However, the petit bluenette remained unaware that this wasn't the real reason why she'd kept her discovery a secret.

"That's true." Lucy nodded.

"This is all so insane! I can't believe that all this time you had a brother and I didn't know!" Gajeel yelled, looking pointedly at the water mage.

She knew that he was feeling upset because she hadn't told him. After all, she used to tell him everything. They had been best friends for years; since she had joined Phantom Lord at the age of 14, when he was barely 17.

However, even he understood that some secrets were too dangerous to be shared and if there was one person who would go as far as keeping all to herself in order to protect the ones she loved, that was Juvia.

"I'm sorry." It was all she could say in response.

"There's one thing that still bugs me." Lucy said, catching their attention.

"What is it?" Ultear asked, deciding to join in the conversation. She knew how hard it was for the siblings to talk about this, so she was ready to help by providing some truths.

"How did you know Juvia was your sister? I mean, didn't you say she disappeared when you were just 7?" Levy frowned at this.

"That's a valid point. How did you recognize her?" Even if they had been siblings, it would be hard to recognize someone after so many years.

Jellal sighed before proceeding to explain the moment he knew that Juvia Lockser was his long lost sister.

* * *

 _5 years before…_

 _It had been two years since the disappearance of Fairy Tail's strongest team and the alleged destruction of Tenrou Island. Searches for them had narrowed down considerably; the Magic Council had given up after just a few months and, with the marking of one year since that fateful day, so did Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale._

 _Everyone believed them to be dead, so when it finally sinked in, they chose to move forward. T_ _he lasting members of Fairy Tail finally went back to their lives, going on jobs, drinking, dating and even getting married._

 _The main event of the past year had been Alzack and Bisca Connell's union and now the birth of their baby girl, the first child to be born after the tragedy, occupied every newspaper and magazine. Everyone was talking about the couple; some clearly expressing their joy while others focused on the fact that Asuka Connell would never know Natsu Dragneel, Erza Scarlet and so many others._

 _Because of this overexposure of the little girl; Jellal, Meredy and Ultear, who had recently founded Crime Sorciére, also came to know of the joyous occasion. Needless to say, they were happy for the couple; having already changed so much in the two years that had passed._

 _They read the articles about Fairy Tail with sad smiles; guilt and regret overwhelming them with each picture of the people they had hurt. However, when it came to a picture of Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser in an article about whether the couple would've gotten together or not if they had survived, Jellal's eyes widened._

 _"It can't be." Ultear and Meredy gave him weird looks, confused by his reaction to the picture._

 _"Is something wrong?" The 15 years old asked._

 _"That's Juliet." Shocked expressions came upon their faces._

 _"What?" Ultear asked, taking the paper from his hands and looking closely at the picture. In it, Gray was shirtless as usual and wore a pair of swim trunks while Juvia wore a purple bikini with white polka dots._

 _"How do you know?" Meredy asked, curious._

 _"The necklace." He pointed towards the black, heart-shaped necklace hanging around Juvia's neck._

 _She would never take it off, although no one would notice since it was usually hidden behind multiple layers of clothing. "I remember it clearly, my father gave it to Juliet for her 5th birthday. It has a picture of our family inside."_

 _"That doesn't mean it's her." The older woman warned him. "After all, I'm sure many girls have similar necklaces."_

 _"No, this is her! I don't know why I didn't realize it before, but I am sure now." Jellal took a deep breath before pointing once again towards the girl in the picture. "That's Juliet!"_

* * *

"That must've been so hard for you." Lucy gently said once Jellal was finished.

"It was. Finding Juliet only to know that I had lost her…" He paused, swallowing hard as tears threatened to fall. "But it's over now. I have her again and I'll never let her go." He looked pointedly at the water mage, who smiled before taking a few steps towards him.

"I won't let go, either. I promise." The siblings hugged once again and now that they knew the truth, everyone just smiled.

"Aww, this is so sweet." Wendy gushed, feeling happy for Jellal once she remembered everything his counterpart had done for her.

"I'm so relieved. I really thought that they were doing it." Levy whispered to Lucy, who nodded. "Yeah, me too."

Natsu joined in on the conversation. "I gotta say, I never would've seen this coming."

"Same. But I'm glad Juvia has someone else, she deserves it." Gray said while approaching the rest of them.

"How are you holding up, stripper?" Gajeel fixed him with a worried look, knowing it mustn't be easy to discover that the woman he loved had lied about so many things.

"I'm okay." He replied, glancing towards Juvia and Jellal with a smile. "I'm happy for her." Unknown to him, this feeling wouldn't last for soon enough he would learn about Juvia's biggest secret and the real reason why she'd come to him. The question remained: would their relationship survive it?

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Crocus…_

Erza Scarlet sat on the bed of the small cottage, arms crossed over her chest while she awaited Jellal's return. It had been over half an hour since him, Ultear and Meredy had left and she was starting to get impatient.

Part of her wanted to just ignore their concerns and join her friends at the Grand Ball like she was supposed to. However, her brain didn't let her forget that there was a powerful enemy out there who had specific plans to eliminate her that night. So she had no choice but to stay put until the danger was over.

Sighing, she stood up and walked towards the empty table where she had been sitting a few hours before, when Jellal filled her in on everything regarding Juvia and Tartarus. It was still hard to believe that the bluenette had been manipulated to kill her, but Erza understood why Crime Sorciére was concerned.

After all, the entire basis for their plan to infiltrate Tartarus was to save the world from them and with Juvia believing they intended to use her in order to wipe out all of her friends, there was no doubt in the red head's mind that the water mage would do it.

As gentle, warm and innocent as Juvia was; she could be capable of murder if the people she loved were involved.

Erza had seen it on Tenrou Island, so that's why she decided to stay behind. But if there was one thing Erza Scarlet hated it was to wait.

Waiting meant not knowing and she didn't like that. She wanted to know already whether Juvia had done it or not and what would happen next.

"Why are you taking so long, Jellal?" She whispered before sitting down on the table, laying her head on it.

Looking towards the door, the temptation to just open it and escape was overwhelming. Her mind went through her conversation with Jellal and she considered the facts.

Tartarus had said it would be done by midnight; it was already past that. Juvia surely wouldn't wait to kill her if everyone's lives were at risk.

Besides, she wasn't some helpless damsel in distress; she was Titania Erza Scarlet, queen of the fairies. She wasn't meant to stay behind.

With that in mind, she got up from the chair and began walking towards the door. As soon as her hand touched the doorknob, however, she finally remembered the real reason behind her acceptance of Jellal's suggestion that she stayed behind.

Sighing once again, Erza let her hand drop before pressing it against her stomach.

There was no one else there. No one was watching. She didn't need to pretend anymore, didn't need to ignore the truth that she had discovered a week before. It wouldn't help anyways; soon enough she wouldn't be able to hide it.

"I've got myself in quite a mess." She whispered, staring at the door. "If being pregnant wasn't terrifying enough, Tartarus have decided to eliminate me now of all times."

Erza walked back towards the table and sat down once again. "At least this time I have Jellal; don't know how I could do this without him."

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **Most of you guessed that Jellal and Juvia were siblings, but did anyone see the Erza reveal coming?**

 **Jerza fans, are you goink crazy like I was when I came up with the pregnancy idea? Just to be clear, there is a very specific reason why I chose to go with this plot. It's not just because I adore Jerza and want them to be happy.**

 **On another topic, what did you think of Kagura and Milliana's introduction and all the flashbacks?**

 **Next chapter will be called Why We Met. It will focus mostly on Gray and Juvia's relationship once he learns her biggest secret, which ties her to Meredy and Ultear. You'll also get to learn more about how Erza got pregnant and Tartarus will (finally) make an appearance. **

**Lastly, here's the sneak peek, as promised:**

"I came to warn you; they aren't happy." Ultear crossed her arms. "We already figured that out."

"They know about Erza, don't they?" Juvia asked.

The mysterious person nodded. "Yeah. They're mad that you didn't actually kill Erza Scarlet and I'm pretty sure they're sending Alison to retrieve you before you can say things they don't want found out."

"Well, they're not taking her anywhere." Jellal's tone was firm when he stepped even closer to Juvia.

"Of course not. We're not gonna let it." Meredy added, also approaching her.

"I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me." Juiva sighed. "I should just deliver myself."

"Don't be stupid." Gajeel shook his head.

"They're going to kill you if you go back." Levy warned, but the stranger denied it. "I doubt they'll actually kill you since they still need you. But they'll certainly punish you." Juvia shivered at the thought of punishment.

"I can handle it." She looked between her friends then her boyfriend-or was he still? "As long as no one else gets hurt, I'll be fine."

 **Ps: Can we try 4 reviews by the 20th of June?**


	4. Why We Met

**UPDATE! (Check out the end for a sneak peek of chapter 5 and my newest story)**

 **Heyyy, everyone.**

 **You're just rocking with your comments; I'm very pleased to see many people are enjoying this story. And we haven't even gotten to the best parts or the other ships' involvement.**

 **Until around chapter 6, the focus will be on the reveals regarding Juvia. After that, we'll have some NaLu, GaLe and Lyredy scenes. So if you ship these other couples, just wait a bit. I have nice plots planned for all of them.**

 **Now, for the shoutouts:**

 **HymnForTheRain : Thanks for the compliments. I like to think that I'm pretty creative since I always come up with the most crazy ideas. **

**Juvia Fulbuster : Really? I figured it would be kinda obvious that they were siblings. I'm very glad that you like this story, it should only get better from now on. **

**Zerza** **: Thank you for the compliments. Worry not, you'll get to see everyone's reactions to Erza's pregnancy. I think Taratrus' and Fairy Tail's will be the best. I have already chosen a name for the newest Fernandes baby and it's so sweet and fitting. You'll have to wait for the last chapter to learn it, though.**

 **glodenglowingsnowdemon : Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm so happpy to learn you're enjoying this, since it was written because of you. I wanted to update as soon as possible, but I still have Demons to write too. Ohh if you're dying now, just wait till you get to chapter 5.**

 **Mikasa-Chan : I think I should've named this story "Plot Twists" cause for each chapter there'll be one. And they'll be BIG and completely unexpected. **

**Guest** **: Congratulations on figuring out the first plot twist.**

 **Ps: I've made plenty of changes to the canon storyline here, so don't be surprised if many things happen differently than in the manga.** **For example, I've considered that Gray and Juvia's first meeting happened a few weeks before the Phantom Lord Arc; it'll be explained in this chapter.**

 **Happy reading, everyone!**

* * *

 _"Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something."_

 ** _-Lucy Heartfilia_**

* * *

 _In a hidden mansion, miles away from everything…_

"I don't like this." Kyoka, goddess of the slave planet, said.

"She's talking too much." Torafusa, one of the nine demon gates, added while they watched through a magic mirror as Juvia Lockser explained her backstory.

"It won't be long till she starts talking about us." Tempester spoke, staring at the screen with narrowed eyes.

"I wouldn't be so worried. Remember that my macro curse won't allow her to do so." Seilah reminded them, smirking.

"That's true. Although I think that Jellal's getting suspicious with the information we've had her give him." Kyoka voiced her concerns, staring at Jellal's figure cautiously.

"I wonder how he found out about our plans to eliminate Erza Scarlet." The former said.

"Doesn't matter. Just because Juliet Fernandes didn't actually kill her, doesn't mean it's over." Keyes told them and the demons smiled.

"Of course not. We'll still have plenty of opportunities for that." Kyoka said.

"Besides, now that we know Juliet is capable of murder, we should use that to our advantage." Seilah reminded them while making a book appear; the name Juliet could be read on the cover.

"What do you have in mind, Seilah?" A new voice asked as a woman entered the room. Her appearance was hidden behind a hood, but a few locks of blue hair could be spotted.

"Alison. I was beginning to wonder where you were, dear." Keyes told her with a sinister smile on his skeleton face.

"I was taking care of business. Don't you remember?" The woman raised a brow in his direction.

"Of course. Now we have a new job for you." Kyoka said and she turned to the demon, an interested look in her eyes.

"Do tell." Alison closed the door behind her before walking towards the center of the room, where the Nine Demon Gates were reunited.

"Retrieve Erza Scarlet." A surprised look crossed her face and she froze. A few moments passed before she recomposed herself. "Shouldn't be a problem. Where is she?"

* * *

"I'm okay." Gray said, glancing towards Juvia and Jellal with a smile. "I'm happy for her."

"Good for you, man." Natsu patted him on the back.

"I have a feeling that's not all there is to the story." Levy voiced her concerns.

"Same. There are many things left unexplained." Gajeel added, frowning.

"Let's give them time before we ask more." Wendy wisely suggested.

"Yeah, with everything that happened tonight, I think they'll need it." Lucy glanced towards Erza's lifeless body and frowned. "Do you think they're telling the truth about Erza?"

"Why would they lie? You know how much Jellal loves her." Levy replied.

"If Juvia had actually killed her, I don't think he'd act this way; sister or not." Gray added.

"But can we be sure that she's still alive?" Gajeel wondered; something didn't feel right about this whole story.

"I won't be sure until I see it with my very eyes." Natsu was quick to say before crossing his arms and glaring at Ultear and Meredy, who stood in the distance, watching the siblings reunite.

"We still have questions." Gajeel loudly told them before taking a few steps forward. The two looked surprised for a moment, but nodded.

"We'll answer them as best as we can." The older woman said, but soon enough Juvia spoke having broken apart from the hug. "Thank you, Ultear, but I can handle it. This is my story, after all."

"Good. Because there are some things that still don't make sense." Natsu told her and she raised a brow.

"Such as?" Levy was the one who started questioning.

"Well, Jellal mentioned that you disappeared when he was seven. Where did you go?" Juvia sighed; knowing this question would come. She exchanged a glance with Ultear, who gave her an unsure look. "If I'm going to tell the truth, I'll have to tell them everything."

"Are you sure?" Meredy's eyes were wide; she didn't think this was a good idea.

"So this is what you were talking about before." Natsu muttered, remembering the words spoken by them a few minutes before

 _"I know, but that doesn't change what I did. What I had her do."_

 _"She didn't go through with it. And, honestly, I don't think Gray needs to know."_

"Whatever it is, you can tell me." The ice mage was quick to tell his girlfriend.

"I know you won't think like that once I'm done, but you deserve to know." Juvia took a deep breath before looking right at him, blue eyes filled with sadness. "When I was five and Jellal was seven, I was kidnapped. I remember that night clearly; it was my 5th birthday and I had fun playing games with him and our father. I was so happy, until he came. The man who took me away from my family and ruined my life."

"Who was it?" Lucy couldn't hold her curiosity any longer.

"His name was Hades; and he used to be the master of Fairy Tail." Their eyes widened once they remembered the man that they had met on Tenrou Island.

"Hades?" Natsu whispered, disbelieving.

"Wait a minute! If he was the one who took you, does that mean that…." Levy started and Gray finished her thought.

"You were with Grimoire Heart, weren't you?" Juvia nodded slowly, a guilty look coming upon her face.

"Yes. I was brought to the place where Ultear was also being kept." This had everyone glancing towards Ultear. "Back then she was Hades' only recruit and we quickly bonded over loneliness and bad parents; since he told me my father didn't want me anymore and had sent me away." Juvia paused and sighed."Of course, it didn't take me long to figure out he was lying, but by then I was in too deep and constantly supervised. So I had no choice but to follow his orders if I wanted to stay alive."

"That makes sense." Lucy said and the others agreed.

"But still, it doesn't forgive everything you must've done as a member of Grimoire Heart." Gajeel spoke next.

"I disagree. If I managed to forgive Ultear for everything she did, it won't be hard to forgive you." Gray sincerely said.

"Besides, compared to the rest of us, Juvia didn't do anything that wrong. She didn't kill anyone in cold blood like me; I always managed to protect her from that." Ultear added and Juvia tensed.

"It's not entirely true. I did some awful things." Her hands held tightly onto the heart-shaped necklace that she constantly wore.

"You didn't have a choice. Master Hades would've killed you otherwise." Meredy reassured.

"It was a matter of survival; we understand. I can forgive that." Gray said and Juvia couldn't help but to smile.

"Thank you, my love. I can't believe how supportive you're being. It's so…unexpected." He laughed at this.

"Trust me, I'm freaking out here. But nothing I've heard so far has convinced me to hate you or resent you. All I can see is how much you suffered and I hate that you didn't tell me before." Tears were brimming in the corner of her eyes.

"I was so scared. I didn't want to lose you." He shook his head before fixing her with a reassuring look.

"You won't. I promised to always be there for you, didn't I?" She nodded, unable to formulate words.

"You two are so sweet!" Meredy happily told them.

"Yes, I just wish I had seen it sooner." Ultear sighed.

"But you did. You saw how I was falling in love with him and you decided to step back. I'm always grateful for that." Juvia told her and Gray's eyes widened.

"So you told Ultear about me? Is that how she found out?" The older woman shook her head.

"No, it was the other way around. I knew exactly who you were ever since Hades told me about my mother's death by your hand. He wanted to fuel my hate for you and need for revenge. It worked just perfectly." She looked down in shame. "I just wish I hadn't dragged Juvia into it."

"It's okay; I've forgiven you for that." The water mage quickly reassured her before smiling. "Besides, if you hadn't pushed me towards Gray, I would've never found the happiness he brought into my life."

"So that first date, it was your doing?" Lucy asked, recalling Juvia and Gray's first encounter a few weeks before the battle between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail.

"Yes. I sent Juvia there to kill Gray, but she couldn't bring herself to do it." Ultear replied and the memory brought matching smiles to Gray and Juvia's faces.

* * *

 _About 1 year earlier..._

 _"Why do you care enough to comfort me when you don't even know me?" Gray was surprised, for many reasons._

 _"To be honest, I'm not always like this." He hoped she'd understand what he meant."But Mirajane has been pushing me to be nicer, so I'm trying."_

 _"You're doing a good job." She allowed a sincere smile to take over her face and he gave his own in return._

 _"I'm glad." They were silent for a few moments, until the faraway ticking of a clock let them know it was already midnight._

 _"We should go." Juvia didn't know why she suggested it. This was the perfect moment to finish what she had come here to do. They were alone there; no one would be witness to her sins._

 _"Okay." He nodded slowly, although she could tell he didn't want to._

 _"But before we do..." Unexpectedly to both, she closed the distance between them as her arms wrapped around his torso while her head rested on his chest. "Thank you." There were so many meanings to those words that he didn't know._

 _Gray's expression softened as he returned the hug. "You're welcome."_

 _She pulled apart a moment later and lifted her head to stare at him. He was looking at her in a way only one person had before; a mixture of compassion, happiness and understanding. It made her feel cared for and she couldn't deny that she liked the feeling._

 _"Juliet..." His hand was suddenly reaching up to touch her face and she froze. There was desire in his eyes now and determination. She was torn between being scared and anxious._

 _"Yes?" The next thing she knew, he had leaned in and then his lips were touching hers in a passionate kiss._

* * *

"You were the first person aside from Ultear and Meredy who ever showed me compassion, understanding. You were the first to ever care and I believe that's why I started to fall in love with you after just one date." Juvia turned to her boyfriend, smiling brightly. "And of course, when you chased the rain away during our battle; I knew it."

"Believe it or not, Gray, but you were the reason why Juvia chose to leave Grimoire Heart. You were the one who brought her into the light and I'm so thankful for that." Ultear spoke next and the ice mage approached the water mage, smiling.

"I'm glad I could point you in the right direction." His arms wrapped around her waist and she wasted no time wrapping her own around his neck.

"I love you so much. Thank you." Instead of replying, he leant it as she did the same.

While the couple shared an intense kiss, Natsu turned to Ultear in confusion. "Wait, so Juvia actually left the guild?"

"If she hadn't, I don't think they would've given her the same treatment back on Tenrou Island." Lucy remarked, remembering Erza and Juvia's tale about their fight against Meredy.

"That's not true! I would've never hurt her, even after she left. But I didn't know who she was." The pinkette said, staring at them guiltily.

"What does that mean?" Now they were really confused.

"You see, after realizing that she was in love with Gray and finding out that Jellal was still alive during the Tower of Heaven incident, Juvia realized that Hades had lied to her for all these years, so she decided to quit." Ultear answered.

"But, as I'm sure you know, no one just quits a dark guild. Getting out alive is nearly impossible." Meredy continued and they nodded, understanding.

"So how did Juvia manage to do it?" Gajeel asked, curious.

"We helped her." The older woman replied. "I always saw her as a little sister, someone I wanted to protect. So after she told me about Jellal, who I'd never known was actually her brother, and of her love for Gray Fullbuster; I decided to put my desire for revenge aside and help her."

* * *

 _13 years earlier…_

 _"Okay, where are you taking me?" Ultear asked while Meredy and Juvia guided her. She was blindfolded and the two girls held her arms and helped her move towards their destination, which was a surprise._

 _"You'll see soon enough." The 12 years old replied while sharing an excited look with the child._

 _"I can't wait to see your face, mamma. You'll love it!" The pinkette added; she was almost jumping with joy._

 _"Okay, we're here." Juvia finally removed the blindfold and Ultear's eyes widened once she spotted the picnic basket on top of the beautiful flowery towel that once belonged to her mother, Ur Milkovitch. There were three glasses, a bottle of juice, many cupcakes and a big strawberry cake besides the basket._

 _"Happy birthday!" Meredy screamed happily._

 _"We were supposed to say it together." The bluenette complained, frowning._

 _"You've done all this for me?" Ultear couldn't deny her surprise. Even though the three of them were very close, she wouldn't have expected them to even remember her birthday. She never celebrated them anyways._

 _"Of course. Juvia told me that you never had a birthday party, so we wanted to give you one." The 7 years old replied._

 _"Don't you like it?" Juvia asked, still frowning._

 _"No, sweetheart, I do. I'm just surprised, that's all." The 18 years old was quick to kneel down by her side, placing both hands on her shoulders._

 _"We wanted it to be a surprise." The bluenette replied and Ultear wasted no time hugging her tightly._

 _"Thank you." For a few moments they stayed like that, until they heard a small voice._

 _"I want a hug too, mamma!" They pulled apart and extended their arms, smiling at Meredy._

 _"Come here." Juvia called and the pinkette ran towards them, laughing._

 _Soon enough the three of them were holding onto each other, content. For the first time in years, Ultear's mind wasn't on her mother or her vendetta against Gray Fullbuster; she felt happy. The three of them did; it was good to know that they still had someone who cared after losing everything._

* * *

"So you weren't all bad." Levy told Ultear and Meredy eagerly nodded.

"Of course not! Ultear might've been a villain back then, but she was always good to me and Juvia. She always took care of us and we were grateful for that." The others smiled; it was nice seeing this softer side of the former villains.

"But how exactly did you help Juvia?" Lucy asked.

"I knew a powerful spell that could make someone unrecognizable. That way, Juvia could move around freely and Hades wouldn't be able to find her." Their eyes widened. Now that was a clever plan!

"The only problem was, the spell was so powerful that even we weren't able to recognize her; which is why I fought against her back on Tenrou Island." The pinkette added.

"I see now. That was clever." Levy praised and they smiled in return.

"It was. I never thanked you for protecting her then, Ultear." Jellal spoke, reminding them of his presence since he had been quietly watching the conversation so far.

His mind had been focused on Erza as the feeling that she might be in danger overwhelmed him. But then again, this whole night had been no short of dangerous for her.

"No problem. I was happy to help; Juvia was always so loyal and kind. She didn't deserve to be trapped with Grimoire Heart." This had the bluenette smiling once she pulled apart from the kiss to catch her breath.

"So let me get this straight. Juvia and Jellal are siblings, but when they were young she was captured by Hades and trained to be in Grimoire Heart." Levy decided to get all the details they had learnt that night.

"Yes." Juvia said, turning around to face the rest of the group while Gray kept his arms wrapped around her from behind.

"And you were sent to kill Gray during that first date, but didn't go through with it. Then during the Phantom Lord battle you fought against him, but he didn't recognize you until after the fight and that's when you knew you loved him." Lucy continued and the water mage nodded.

"Why were you in Phantom Lord anyways?" Gajeel brought up a good point.

"I was sent there to infiltrate the guild since master Hades wanted to know if they could someday join the Balam Alliance." Juvia replied.

"What about Fairy Tail?" This was the question in everyone's mind ever since Juvia and revealed that she used to be a member of Grimoire Heart.

"I wanted to join the guild because of Gray. It wasn't Hades' plan." Relieved looks came upon everyone's faces.

"One more thing, since you were a member of Grimoire Heart, can we assume that you also use some form of lost magic?" Levy brought up another crucial point.

"That's right. I forgot to ask." Natsu said before turning to Juvia expectantly.

"Well…" She was about to answer when she felt it. The familiar dark presence that constantly haunted her dreams. They all felt it and Jellal's face paled while Ultear and Meredy suddenly looked nervous. "They're here."

* * *

 _A few weeks before..._

" _You look beautiful, Erza." Jellal said and she smiled at him, a small blush coloring her cheeks. "Thank you."_

 _They were outside of Lamia Scale's guildhall and it was 2 weeks before the Grand Magic Games began. A party had been organized so that all the contestants could get to know each other before the big day; which meant that most of the magical guilds in Fiore were there._

 _Crime Sorciére, per Meredy's request, had decided to join the party; taking advantage of the fact that it was a masked ball so that no one should recognize them. Just for precaution, though, they had also used magic to make themselves unrecognizable._

 _"So, shall we dance?" Erza extended her hand at him. She wore a beautiful dark red gown matched with a pair of red high heels she wouldn't be caught dead in if Lucy hadn't convinced her to wear them. Her mask had been taken off a while ago._

 _"We shouldn't." Jellal was quick to say while frowning._

 _Erza sighed, remembering their conversation a few months before when they had been reunited after seven long years. He had explicitly told her that the only reason he had chosen to live was so that he could make up for his mistakes; and that involved hurting her._

 _When she had told him that she forgave him for everything, he'd accepted it but reinforced that he had yet to forgive himself. A_ _fter a fight that led to a desperate kiss; they agreed to stop hiding their feelings and confessed their love for each other._

 _However, per Jellal's request, they agreed to wait until he felt like he deserved to be with her._

 _But that was over two months ago and Erza was tired. "Come on; it won't do any harm. You can punish yourself later." She didn't await for an answer and grabbed his hand before leading him along the huge gardens, taking advantage of the fact it was deserted._

 _Once they reached a spot far enough from the party that no one should walk in, she stopped before turning to face him. His eyes showed guilt and regret; as usual. He wore a blue tuxedo, probably chosen by Meredy since the pinkette had good taste._

 _"You make it really hard to stay away from you." Jellal admitted while his arms instinctively wrapped around her waist._

 _"It certainly doesn't seem like it. I've missed you." Erza replied while wrapping her own around his neck as they began swinging to the faded slow song._

 _"I've missed you too." He tensed when her hand touched his cheek, but relaxed once she just used it to remove his mask._

 _They danced for a good while, until he felt like it was time to go._ _Being alone with her only served to increase his desire to be with her and he couldn't allow that._

 _So he tried to step away, but she didn't let him. Instead, her arms tightened around his neck and she brought his face closer so that she could kiss him._

 _As surprised as he was and despite the constant reminder of why he shouldn't, Jellal couldn't help but to reply._

 _When they were forced to pull apart because of the need for air, his mind finally started working again and he cursed himself for being weak. "We shouldn't have done that."_

 _She rolled her eyes before grabbing his face with both hands. "Stop being so stubborn. I haven't seen you in weeks, so we deserve to at least have tonight." Her stare was firm and determined; he'd be lying if he said it wasn't tempting._

 _"Erza, I…." She put a finger on his lips while shaking her head._

 _"Don't talk. Just let go." He stared at her with uncertainty. "Tonight." Would one night make such a difference? He had been punishing himself for seven years, so maybe he deserved it._

 _For once in a long time, Jellal didn't waste time thinking about it and just let go. He allowed himself to be happy, to kiss her again and, when her hands started unbuttoning his tuxedo, he didn't push them away._

 _Instead he allowed his own to trace the back of her dress and unzip it. He didn't even know why he did it, but once she stepped away and allowed it to fall to the ground, he realized that he didn't care._

* * *

Erza awoke, almost jumping from her chair. Her face was warm and red as she thought of the events of that night.

It had been passionate, desperate and amazing. An experience she never wanted to forget and now, she never could.

A hand once again rested upon her stomach and she smiled. That night had produced the most precious life for them and no matter how difficult the situation was or how unready they were to become parents; Erza knew that both of them would stop at nothing to protect their child.

"You couldn't have chosen a worse time, though." She whispered, thinking of all the events happening that night. Looking towards the clock on the counter, she noticed it was 12:45. "Okay, now I think it's safe enough to join them."

Standing up, Erza started walking towards the door, only for it to be swung open.

* * *

 **So, what did you think?**

 **Did anyone expect Juvia to be a part of Grimoire Heart? I've been dying to do this twist for a while now and I think it worked well with this story.**

 **Can you guess what her true powers are? A hint: it's the real reason why she was sent to infiltrate Tartarus instead of Jellal or Ultear.**

 **On another note, Jerza fans, did I do alright with the flashback? And what'll happen now that Erza's been found?**

 **Next chapter will be called Linked Pasts. Juvia's secrets won't be the only ones revealed as everyone learns something that Gray has been hiding since the Games. This time there'll be Gruvia flashbacks and some Badass Erza moments.**

 **Ps: Check out my newest Jerza One-Shot, Everything Led Back To You. It's based on the amazing song by Ed Sheeran, All Of These Stars. Plenty of angst with a happy ending.**

 **I already posted this on Demons, but for those who aren't reading it, I'm posting it here as well.**

 **Sneak Peek of Chapter 5:** **(coming on June 26th)**

"They're here." Gray, Natsu, Lucy, Levy, Gajeel and Wendy were confused.

"Who's here?" The latter curiously asked.

"No time to explain. Get them out of here!" Juvia pleaded, staring pointedly at her brother.

"I'm not leaving you to fight them alone, you know that." He replied firmly.

"We don't have time to argue, Jellal." Ultear told him.

"Seriously, who's here?" Gray asked. They could all sense a strange presence, but it was faint.

"Damn it!" Juvia screamed, frustrated, before reaching for the ever present heart-shaped necklace. She was just about to take it off when the realization sinked in. "There's only one."

"Why would they send only one?" Meredy asked, confused.

"Only one what?" Lucy asked from behind Natsu, who had placed himself in front of her protectively the minute he heard there was someone else there.

"Are you sure there aren't more, Juvia?" Ultear asked the bluenette, completely ignoring the question.

"Yes, I can sense it." Her hands fell; there was no need to use it if there was only one. But still, as she wondered which one was there, her face paled. No. Anyone but _her_.

"Don't worry, I come in peace." The voice was unfamiliar to most; only Gray and Juvia recognized it.

"Silver?"

 **Summary of my newest story: (also coming on June 26th)**

What if the future had been even more tragic? On the 4th night of the Games, Juvia (not Lucy) shows up while they're wondering what to do. Even more surprising, she's pregnant and the question of who the father is leads to the most unexpected answer: "It's Natsu." Of course, it's not as simple as that. Love never is. (NaLu, Gruvia)

 **Have a nice weekend, everyone!**


	5. Linked Pasts

**REPOSTING! (just reminding you of this story since I'll post chapter 6 in two days)**

 **Hey, everyone! Here I am with yet another chapter of this story.**

 **It's definitely a favorite and since today is my 20th birthday, I'm considering it a birthday gift for myself! (yeah, I'm weird like that)**

 **Anyways, this chapter has the last big reveal regarding Juvia and I think it'll be the most unexpected. You'll also get some Gruvia flashbacks explaining how their relationship developed in this story.**

 **Now, for the shoutouts:**

 **glodenglowingsnowdemon: Like I said before, this story should be called "Plot Twists". Thank you very much for the compliments, it makes me happy to know that you're enjoying this story. Here's the next update as promised. **

**Zerza: Congratulations for placing a very good point. I have a head canon that when mages are pregnant, they can't really fight using magic because it could be harmful for the baby. So you shouldn't expect to see Erza in her Heaven's Will armor or any other here (except for this chapter). **

**However, just because she can't use magic, doesn't mean she can't be badass. Erza is a strong and powerful woman with or without it.**

 **kulio: Thank you! ;)**

 **HymnForTheRain: I'm glad you enjoyed that flashback. I plan on including more soon. **

**Mikasa-Chan: Thanks so much! ;) Don't we all love how badass Erza is?**

 **Happy reading, everyone! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.**

* * *

 _"You have three choices, you can give up, give in or give it your all."_

 ** _-Lucy Heartfilia_**

* * *

 _April 1st, X791..._

 _Erza Scarlet watched as the saddened mage sat by the river, a hand raised making a few drops of water move and transform into circles, squares, triangles, flowers. Her blue hair was let down like it had been recently and she wore the new outfit that Lucy had helped her pick._

 _"Hey, Juvia." The water mage turned around at the sound of her voice._

 _"Oh. Hello, Erza." The red head approached her quickly before asking if she could sit down as well. After receiving a positive response, she settled by Juvia's side and they stayed in silence watching the water._

 _"So, what brings you out here?" Everyone was still celebrating inside the guild since that day was Cana's 19th birthday._

 _"I just wanted to be alone for a while." Juvia replied gloomily and Erza noticed the sky getting darker._

 _"Maybe you should talk about what't bothering you." She suggested and the bluenette sighed._

 _"I think you already know." Of course she did. It was as clear as day; just as it had been since their return from Tenrou Island._

 _After all, many were still confused about what happened there, specially between Juvia and Gray Fullbuster. One minute the ice mage had been desperate, fearing losing her and nearly confessing to love her; then as soon as they returned he resumed ignoring her affections._

 _It was a puzzle to most, but Erza knew why Gray acted that way. She understood him well, knowing his history, but that didn't make it okay._

 _Even less so when he had acted like a jealous boyfriend when his old friend Lyon Vastia became infatuated with Juvia._

 _"I do." The red head sighed. "Look, I know you're upset by the way Gray's been acting, but you need to give him time."_

 _"It's been nearly 2 months since we returned." Juvia answered._

 _"Yes, and it's been two months since both of you nearly died on that island." Erza told her. "He blames himself for it, I know he does."_

 _"Like he did for his master's death?" The bluenette asked, remembering when Lyon had told her about Ur Milkovitch a few days before. The two of them had become rather good friends since her return from Tenrou, although she knew his feelings went deeper than that._

 _"Exactly. But it's not just about Ur, there's his parents as well." This caught Juvia's interest, she had yet to learn anything about Gray's parents._

 _"If I may ask, what happened to his parents?" Erza didn't know why she'd mentioned it, but it was too late to back down now._

 _"I'm sure he wouldn't like it if I told you." Juvia frowned, but nodded in understanding. "But I think Gray's been keeping this for too long. You deserve to know more about his past." Then she took a deep breath before telling Juvia how Gray's parents had died during an attack on his village. She mentioned how Ur was the one who rescued him from the rubbles along with Lyon._

 _When it came to the reveal that the demon Deliora had been responsible for destroying their lives, she noticed the way Juvia's eyes widened and her face paled. Before she could wonder what that was about, a smile quickly returned, but Erza realized it was fake._

 _That was the first time since they had met that she wondered if the water mage might be keeping secrets too._

* * *

 _Present day..._

Erza let out a scream and quickly reequipped into Heaven's Will armor, ready for a fight. Thankfully, the person entering the cottage wasn't one of Zeref's allies, as far as she knew.

"What are you doing here?" She lowered her swords while casting the unexpected visitor a suspicious look.

"He's not here." The man muttered, a frustrated look coming upon his face. Then his dark eyes gazed into hers. "Where is he?"

"Where is who?" She was genuinely confused until it clicked.

"Don't play dumb, Erza. I'm well aware of your...connection to him." Agent Dorenbolt replied before fully entering the cottage.

"What do you want?" She asked, irritated by his presence.

"The truth. I've been searching for Jellal for years, hoping he might give me some answers, but he always eludes me." He gave a defeated sigh and she couldn't deny her curiosity.

"What answers are you seeking?" Letting go of her reequip, she sat down on the table in front of him, keeping a sword in hand just in case.

"Maybe you could help. You've known him since childhood, after all." Erza immediately shook her head.

"I'm not helping deliver Jellal to you; he doesn't deserve to go back to prison. He's trying to do better, even if you can't see it." Dorenbolt shook his head.

"I won't argue with you, I'm not in the mood today." She was surprised by how quickly he gave up, but his next words brought back anxiousness and nervousness. "Also, Jellal isn't the only one I've been searching for."

"Who else?" He pulled out a file, placing it on the table. There was a picture of a little girl on it, with familiar blue hair and eyes.

"Do you know who this is?" She shook her head. "Sorry, but I have no idea."

"I think you do. After all, I'm sure Jellal has told you all about her." It wasn't a lie, he had revealed everything earlier that night. But Erza wouldn't let the agent know that, not when it could endanger Juvia's life.

"What makes you think he just tells me everything?" This had Dorenbolt chuckling, clearly amused.

"Come on, it's no secret that he loves you. I've known for years, which is why I never stopped searching for you on that Island, hoping you might lead me to him."

"You're sick. Using me just to get to him; you're no different from all the enemies I've faced." His face fell; the smile being replaced by a firm look.

"If I was, I would've tried to kill you before or Jellal once I found him. I simply want to bring justice." It was her turn to chuckle bitterly.

"Justice. Is that why you left us on Tenrou Island even after learning that Acnologia was on its way?" He sighed.

"I did what was asked of me, I was following orders." He cast her a determined gaze. "But that's not important now. All I care about is talking to Juliet Fernandes."

"Why?" Erza asked, unaware that she had just delivered herself.

"She's the key to actually finding Jellal and bringing him back to prison. After my failure at the Games, I have an image to uphold." She laughed once again.

"So is that what this is about? Keeping your reputation?" Such stupidity, she thought. Ruining a young man's life for the sake of one's reputation.

"Don't play with me, Erza Scarlet. You might be the queen of the fairies, but you're not above the council." It was a threat and she was unamused.

"So now you're threatening me?" Ignoring her, Dorenbolt stood up.

"Will you tell me about Juliet Fernandes or not?" She was about to shake her head when an idea came to mind.

It was risky, but it might her best option at the moment. After all, Tartarus were still after her and she feared that if she went looking for Jellal alone, it might bring danger to herself and her child.

She couldn't allow that, so perhaps using Dorenbolt to get to him was a wise choice. All she would need to do is make sure that he didn't follow her afterwards.

"I have a better idea. Why don't you take me to the palace and I'll convince her to talk to you?" He raised a brow, clearly doubting her words.

However, unlike Jellal, Erza was a great liar, so Dorenbolt quickly sighed before nodding. "Alright."

* * *

 _"You always know what to say, don't you?" Jellal said, staring down at her with gentle dark green eyes._

 _"That's not true at all. I just go through life one day at a time." Erza replied, bringing a hand to his cheek, to which he sighed._

 _"Erza..." Her name came out as a desperate whisper, a last attempt to hold himself._

 _"I thought…I'd never see you again." She held his face between her hands, staring at him in disbelief._

 _"I can't." Jellal whispered when she started bringing his face even closer to hers. "I have a fiancée."_

 _Her hands dropped and her face was taken over by shock. However, as soon as she realized it was a lie, she smiled._

 _"You were always such a bad liar." He frowned._

 _"You could always see right through me." His face was conflicted and she felt for him._

 _"You don't need to deprive yourself of happiness. I forgive you, for everything." Her kind words did nothing to ease his struggle._

 _"But I can't forgive myself." Jellal admitted, looking away. "After what I've done…I just can't."_

 _"I know what it's like to have regrets, we all have them." Erza explained, grabbing his face once again and turning it so he'd look at her. "It will take time, but I know you'll eventually forgive yourself."_

 _"I'd like to think so." Silence fell upon them after that, both lost int thought, until Erza asked: "About that fiancée of yours…Do you love her?"_

 _"Yes." His response was immediate, certain._

 _She smiled, aware that he knew she was talking about herself. "I'm sure she loves you too." Her hands caressed his face while his own came to the back of her head as he lifted it up._

 _"You must live, for her sake." Jellal nodded, whispering a quiet "I will."._

 _Unable to hold themselves any longer, they closed any distance before locking their lips in a passionate, long awaited kiss._

* * *

 _Present day..._

"They're here." Gray, Natsu, Lucy, Levy, Gajeel and Wendy were confused.

"Who's here?" The latter curiously asked.

"No time to explain. Get them out of here!" Juvia pleaded, staring pointedly at her brother.

"I'm not leaving you to fight them alone, you know that." He replied firmly.

"We don't have time to argue, Jellal." Ultear told him.

"Seriously, who's here?" Gray asked. They could all sense a strange presence, but it was faint.

"Damn it!" Juvia screamed, frustrated, before reaching for the ever present heart-shaped necklace. She was just about to take it off when the realization sinked in. "There's only one."

"Why would they send only one?" Meredy asked, confused.

"Only one what?" Lucy asked from behind Natsu, who had placed himself in front of her protectively the minute he heard there was someone else there.

"Are you sure there aren't more, Juvia?" Ultear asked the bluenette, completely ignoring the question.

"Yes, I can sense it." Juvia's hands fell; there was no need to use it if there was only one. But still, as she wondered which one was there, her face paled. No. Anyone but **_her_**.

"Don't worry, I come in peace." The voice was unfamiliar to most; only Gray and Juvia recognized it.

"Silver?" The latter muttered, staring at the armored man in surprise.

"Who are you?" Natsu immediately asked, fixing him with a suspicious look. Upon taking a few sniffs, his eyes widened when he recognized the smell coming from the stranger.

"No way!" Gajeel yelled once he came to the same conclusion.

"Dad?" Gray asked, confirming their suspicions.

"Wait, Dad?" Lucy asked, eyes wide.

"What?" Juvia stared between the two man, eyes wide. How could she not have seen it before? The similarities were just uncanny, not to mention the two used the same type of magic.

"You know this man?" Ultear turned to Gray, eyes narrowed.

"He's my dad." The ice mage replied, making many eyes widen while a small smile came upon Silver's face as both thought about their reunion a few days before.

* * *

 _Grand Magic Games, day 6..._

 _Gray and Juvia had just finished having lunch like agreed when the ice mage decided to have some time alone to look over his plan for the last day. After giving the bluenette a quick peck on the lips, he followed the opposite direction as she went towards the guild._

 _He didn't have a destination in mind, he just wanted to walk for a while and think about how he might be able to defeat Rufus. He was excited to fight against the powerful blonde, and a bit nervous too._

 _After all, the man had kicked his ass on the first day and so easily; he couldn't allow that to happen again._

 _He had just reached the hotel where Lamia Scale had been staying and was about to turn back when he heard it. A call from his name in a familiar yet forgotten tone. "What the…" He froze upon spotting the man a few feet away. Silver had just removed the hood concealing his face and was fixing the younger mage with a sad, nostalgic look._

 _"No. No way." Gray_ _immediately_ _recognized his father's face, but having clear memories of seeing his dead body on the ground, assumed he was seeing things._

 _"You're not seeing things, son." Silver told him, as if reading his thoughts._

 _"I don't buy it. There's no way you can be here. No way." Gray avoided those familiar dark eyes, but the older man approached him._

 _"Son, please, look at me. Let me see your face." Reluctantly doing so, he was surprised by the tears filling Silver's eyes. "You look just like I did when I was young."_

 _"How?" Gray managed to get out and the latter sighed. "It's complicated."_

 _"You were dead." The memory was clear, despite the fact that a decade had passed since then._

 _"I know. I can't explain everything to you yet, but I need you to know that I would never abandon you." The young man was caught off guard._

 _"Then why didn't you come sooner? Why wait a decade?" Anger bubbled inside him as he thought of every moment of despair thinking his parents were dead._

 _"I didn't know you were alive." It was Silver's response and he scoffed, disbelieving it. "It is the truth, son. If I did, I would have…" He stopped himself. What could he have done?_

 _"What?" Gray pressed, but the former was no longer paying attention. Instead, his mind focused on the familiar voices of the nine demon gates and his face paled. "I must go now."_

 _"Seriously?" The young ice mage was confused._

 _"I'm sorry. I just…I wanted to see you." Silver hesitantly placed his hands on Gray's shoulders._

 _"This isn't over, alright? I'll find you again and I'll try to explain everything, I promise." With that said, he removed his hands before turning around and walking away, leaving a stunned mage behind._

* * *

"I told you I'd find you again, didn't I?" Silver said, smiling.

"Hold, on. How is this possible?" Lucy asked at the same time as Natsu furrowed his brows "I thought your father was dead."

"I thought so too." Gray told them while Juvia finally got over her shock.

"So you're Gray's father?" Silver nodded, fixing her with a soft look.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't mention before; I should have." She shook her head, disbelief clear on her face.

"Wait, how do you know my father?" The ice mage asked, curious.

"God, please tell me he wasn't with Grimoire Heart too." Lucy pleaded, stepping away from Natsu's protection.

"Stand back, Luce. He could be dangerous." The dragon slayer warned, but she ignored him.

"No, he wasn't." Ultear answered, staring at the older man with suspicion.

"He's with Tartarus." Jellal added, stepping closer to his sister, ready to protect her.

"What?" Gray's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, son. I wish I could say it't not true, but I can't deny it." The ice mage shook his head, staring at him angrily. "So not only have you abandoned me all those years ago, but you've also been working for Zeref?"

"No, that's not true." Juvia denied it and he turned to her.

"And you knew! You…you lied about everything!" She gave him an apologizing look."I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't enough." He replied harshly and they were confused why he was suddenly being so cruel towards her when he had just forgiven her.

"Stop being a jackass, Fullbuster." Gajeel scolded while continuing to prevent an annoyed Levy from leaving his side.

"It's not Juvia's fault; she didn't know who I was." Silver told his son but Gray was having none of it.

"I don't care. I just… I can't deal with all this crap!" The weight of everything he had learned that night finally sinked in and suffocated him.

"Why are you here, Silver?" Jellal asked; Juvia had mentioned the older man before when she talked about the members of Tartarus. Although he was the only one she had named; the others remained a mystery.

"I came to warn you; they aren't happy." Ultear crossed her arms. "We already figured that out."

"They know about Erza, don't they?" The bluenette asked.

Silver nodded. "Yeah. They're mad that you didn't actually kill Erza Scarlet and I believe they've sent someone to retrieve you before you can say things they don't want found out."

"So you knew about Erza too?" Gray asked before mentally face-palming. Of course he did, he was with Tartarus after all. It was still so hard to grasp that not only was his father still alive, but working for the enemy.

"Well, they're not taking her anywhere." Jellal's tone was firm when he stepped even closer to the water mage.

"Of course not. We're not gonna let it." Meredy added, also approaching Juvia.

"I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me." The latter sighed. "I should just deliver myself."

"Don't be stupid." Gajeel shook his head.

"They're going to kill you if you go back." Levy warned, but Silver denied it. "I doubt they'll actually kill you since they still need you. But they'll certainly punish you." Juvia shivered at the thought of punishment.

"I can handle it." She looked between her friends then her boyfriend-or was he still? "As long as no one else gets hurt, I'll be fine."

"This isn't the time to be selfless." Ultear shook her head.

"Ultear's right, you need to be smart." Jellal told Juvia.

"What do you suggest then?" She asked and Silver answered that one.

"I'm pretty sure they're sending _**Alison**_ after you. Talk to her, you might convince her to take you somewhere safe." The new name had most of them curious, while Juvia's face paled.

"Who's Alison?" Natsu was the one who asked.

"No. Not _**her**_." The water mage shook her head, anger crossing her face.

"Juvia?" Gray asked, but she refused to respond.

"We shouldn't waste time! We need to get you out of here as soon as possible." Ultear told her, but she still said nothing.

* * *

The faint ticking of a clock signaled it was already 1PM. "Erza!" Jellal suddenly remembered.

"We should check up on her." Meredy glanced between him and Ultear.

"Where is she anyways?" Natsu asked, crossing his arms.

"You can't go there!" Juvia warned and the three members Crime Sorciére stared at her in confusion.

"Why not?" Once again, Silver answered it. "They're probably watching your every move, so if you go to Erza, you'll be leading Tartarus to her."

"Why are you helping us anyways?" Ultear asked, confused.

"I've been waiting for an opportunity to take them down for nearly two decades. So I'm willing to do anything I can to help you do that." He replied and relief crossed Gray's face.

"Then let's do it. Tonight." Silver turned to Juvia in surprise. "Let's eliminate them like you've been planning for years."

"We can't, Juvia. There are too many of them." Silver reminded.

"Then take us with you. We can help you take them down." Gajeel said, excited at the prospect of fighting against another dark guild.

"I'm supposed to do it. It's my job, yet I couldn't kill a single one." The water mage struggled with tears.

"What do you mean 'it's your job'?" Lucy asked, but she wasn't done. "Not even Deliora".

"What?" Gray froze and his eyes widened.

"You need to stop beating yourself for it." Ultear told the bluenette.

"What now?" Levy asked, exasperated.

"Explain." The ice mage said, turning to his girlfriend firmly.

"Do you want me to take this one?" Meredy gently asked and Juvia slowly nodded.

"Okay. So, remember when you asked if Juvia used some type of lost magic like all the other members of Grimoire Heart?" The others nodded.

"Yeah." Gajeel raised a brow.

"Well, she learned something that was more powerful than even my magic. It's also very unstable, so Hades realized it was best if she concealed her powers because it was too dangerous." Ultear explained and with each word they were more afraid of learning the truth.

"That is the reason why she was sent to spy missions such as Phantom Lord, so that she wouldn't have to use her true powers." Meredy continued.

"But if she's so powerful, how could we not know?" Levy asked. It didn't make sense how they wouldn't feel such power.

"Master Hades enchanted my necklace, so it conceals my true powers." Juvia replied, showing them the black, heart-shaped necklace.

"So that's why you never took it off." Gray realized and she nodded.

"It does a good job, although some side-effects of my magic were much harder to be concealed. The rain that constantly followed me is one of them." His eyes widened.

"So the rain was a manifestation of your true powers?" Juvia nodded once again.

"I don't know exactly how you managed to chase it away, but after meeting you I've become much better at concealing my powers." Ultear smiled at this.

"That's because your powers are related to your emotions. Meeting Gray brought positive emotions into your life, so it became easier to keep the darkness at bay." She explained just before an impatient Natsu crossed his arms and asked: "Stop beating around the bush! What magic do you use?".

"It's very similar to yours; only instead of dragons, it's meant for slaying demons." Juvia replied at last and they were shocked.

"What?" Levy and Lucy asked at the same time.

"Demon slaying magic?" Young Wendy wondered.

"I never saw this one coming." Natsu stared at her in disbelief.

"How is this possible? How could you…" Gray started to ask before he remembered something. "You mentioned Deliora. Did you know him?" It was too insane to even consider, but she had said the demon's name.

"Yes." Juvia lowered her head. "Deliora was my first mission; Master Hades sent me to defeat him, only I couldn't." This brought a new wave of widened eyes.

"So you were there when…." He couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'm so sorry. I wanted to kill him and save everyone, but I couldn't." They didn't know what was more unbelievable: the fact that sweet, kind and overall innocent Juvia possessed magic even stronger than Ultear's or that she apologized for not killing a demon when she'd only been 7.

Either way, this woman was becoming more of a mystery with each passing minute and Gray wondered what other details he might not know about her.

He would soon learn there was only one secret left, hidden behind the name that Silver had spoken a few minutes before: Alison.

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **Gruvia and Jerza fans, did you enjoy the flashbacks? I wasn't planning on including that Jerza one, but figured I should give the fans some scenes before the big reunion.**

 **Did anyone imagine that Dorenbolt would be the one going after Erza? Just two things I wanna make clear:**

 **1-He'll be much different in this story than in the manga; here he's been obsessed with finding Jellal and sending him back to prison for years. So he won't be helping him any time soon.**

 **2-Therefore I've considered that the part where he gets Cobra, per Jellal's request, never happened. Maybe it was his own idea, I don't know, it's not so important.**

 **What did you think of Silver's introduction and Juvia being a demon slayer? That's another plot twist I've wanted to do for a while now. I think she'd be so badass and I just love exploring her powers.**

 **Lastly, can you guess who Alison is? If you get it right, I'll send you a sneak peek of THE Jerza scene you must be waiting for.**

 **Next chapter will be called Alison. We'll have the reveal of who she is, more Gruvia flashbacks, Jerza reunion, some NaLu, the first glimpse at the prophecy and the introduction of Lyredy. (does anyone even ship these two? There'll be a whole chapter dedicated to them)**

 **Can we try a challenge and 6 reviews by July 1st?**


	6. Alison

**Hey, everyone.**

 **So, this is a bit late, but I'm finally back with another chapter of Unforgivable.**

 **Now that I'm working on 3 different stories at the same time, you should expect updates to be slower. I'm thinking once a week/every ten days for this one.**

 **As for Demons, I'm really sorry, but if I want to keep all this up, I'm gonna need to post new chapters once a month. Of course, if ****there's a high demand for more updates, I'll consider posting more frequently.**

 **It's all up to you; now I'm relying on your opinions to see which stories I should update more frequently.**

 **Anyways, to the shoutouts:**

 **HymnForTheRain : I know the flashbacks are a bit much, but since I picked the story from a point in which some of the couples are already together, I felt the need to explain how that happened. Also, as you said, they are used effectively and for a reason; not just randomly thrown into the chapters. **

**I really like your theory about Alison; makes so much sense. It's incorrect, though. The end of this chapter will reveal** **exactly who she is and it shouldn't be much of a shock.**

 **Mikasa-Chan: Thank you ;) I'm not sure if your comment meant that chapter 5 wasn't very interesting, but if it was, I'm sorry about that. I know things are moving slow, but I wanted to keep one revelation per chapter and spend some time developing the relationships before we get to the really good stuff.**

 **Thanks for correcting me, I always mix up a few names like Doranbolt's.**

 **I also wanna make a shoutout to Bonneyq, R011ingThunder, CoeurDePluie and adoranymph;** **who are great writers whose stories I haven't had time to read because I've been writing so much.**

 **Happy reading, everyone! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.**

* * *

 _"This is my sin for giving in to my own weaknesses. My heart just couldn't keep up with the gigantic gap between dreams and reality."_

 **-Jellal Fernandes**

* * *

 _April 23nd, X791..._

 _Gray Fullbuster groaned after opening his eyes. The sunlight coming from the open window-why the hell was it open?-blinded him as he tried to sit up on the hotel bed._

 _He was in Aukani Resort, where Team Natsu had decided to train for the upcoming Grand Magic Games. Levy, Jet and Troy had chosen to join them and the night before, so had Juvia._

 _The original plan had been for her to join them on their whole training, but due to the tension between her and Gray, she'd decided to train somewhere else. At least that's what she had said, but Gray knew exactly what she had been doing and who she'd been with._

 _Lyon Vastia, his childhood friend and rival. Ever since Gray had returned from Tenrou Island, the older man had made it clear that he was in love with Juvia Lockser._

 _So he'd been forced to watch Lyon's constant advances towards Juvia; which annoyed him to hell because he too was in love with her._ _Not that Gray would ever admit it; he had kept his feelings bottled up for so long and the fear of losing her like so many others prevented him from ever making a move._

 _He'd been fine with that before, thinking Juvia would always be there waiting for the moment he was ready._

 _Unfortunately, that's not how it worked._ _About 10 days before, she had announced to be dating Lyon, much to Gray's surprise. He didn't know what changed, but suddenly she wasn't fawning over him like usual._

 _Her constant presence quickly diminished until he stopped seeing her at all; ever since he had come to the resort. From what he heard from Lucy and Erza, Juvia was staying with Lamia Scale and helping Lyon train for the Games._

 _And while Gray didn't like that, but there was nothing he could do. He had lost his chance, so he needed to step back and let her be with Lyon if that was what made her happy. He'd been doing a fine job until the night before, when she'd arrived at Aukani resort._

 _Dressed in a simple short red dress he'd never seen, she'd taken his breath away. But once he'd seen the older ice mage step closer to her and they shared a kiss; it was enough to break him even more._

 _He had managed to stay away from the couple while focusing on drinking as much as possible. Lucy and Erza had scolded him for it, but didn't get in his way. They knew how he felt about Juvia, so they let him be._

 _Late at night, just as he had been thinking about going to bed, she'd returned, alone. After letting him know that Lyon had needed to return to Lamia Scale because of an emergency, she had come to the bar for a drink and that's where she found him._

 _Gray didn't know why, but after she sat down by his side and tried to start up a casual conversation, he just spilled it all out._

 _In the most unromantic way possible, involving a throw up session at the end, he had confessed his love for her._

 _"Damn." The ice mage whispered, remembering this. Even if he had been wasted, seems like his mind wouldn't let him forget that embarrassing moment._

 _"Good morning. How are you feeling?" He turned to the door in shock, eyes widening._

 _"Juvia?" Panic rose as he wondered what the hell she was doing in his hotel room."What the hell are you doing here?"_

 _She sighed. "I brought you here last night; you were having trouble walking." That he didn't remember. "I came back a few minutes ago since Erza asked me to check up on you."_

 _"Thanks." He didn't know what to say, the whole situation was so embarrassing._

 _Juvia walked towards the bed and sat by the edge, fixing him with a serious look."I think we need to talk."_

 _Gray had a feeling he wouldn't like this conversation much, but it never occurred to him that it might the moment they would finally decide to be together._

* * *

 _Present day..._

Erza and Dorenbolt arrived at the palace's main door only a few moments later. While they tried to recover from the use of his teleportation magic, she took notice of the young man who had been sitting on the staircase.

"Erza?" Lyon Vastia asked, confused.

"What are you doing?" The red head wondered, curious upon spotting a woman's shoe by his side.

"Nothing." He answered quickly, blushing a bit.

"Okay, now it's time for you to lead me to Juliet." Dorenbolt said, catching their attention.

"The magic council?" Lyon whispered, clearly baffled to see him there.

"Yeah, sure." Erza told the agent while discreetly conjuring a sword that appeared behind a bush.

"Wait. Who's Juliet? And why is the council here?" The ice mage asked.

"That's classified information." Dorenbolt replied, making him raise a brow. "Seriously?"

"Besides, it has nothing to do with…you." The agent's last word was followed by a shocked gasp as he was hit hard on the head by the sword. He stared at Erza in shock and anger. "You!"

"Sorry about that." She whispered just before his body dropped to the ground.

"What did you do that for?" Lyon asked, eyes wide.

"It's a long story." She replied while kneeling down to make sure that Dorenbolt was really unconscious.

"He's an agent for the Magic Council. This will get you in trouble." The ice mage warned.

"I'm already in trouble." Erza replied while standing up.

"What does that mean?" He fixed her with a worried look, but she didn't have time to reply.

"I need to find Gray. And Juvia. Do you know where they are?" Lyon was caught by surprise, but nodded.

"Yeah. I saw them going that way." He pointed towards the labyrinth consisting of the palace's gardens and Erza sighed.

"This will take a while." After saying a quick goodbye, she started running in the direction he had pointed, hoping that Jellal would be there cause the two of them really needed to talk.

* * *

"So you were there when…." Gray couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'm so sorry. I wanted to kill Deliora and save everyone, but I couldn't." Juvia looked away, guilt and regret crossing her face.

"This is insane!" Lucy shook her head, still disbelieving it.

"I can't believe I didn't know you were so powerful. I could've challenged you before." Natsu said, earning many eye-rolls.

"Seriously? That's what you're thinking about?" Gajeel asked him, raising a brow.

"I didn't know you were sent after Deliora." Silver said, looking impressed.

"I can't believe Hades would send a child to do such a dangerous job." Lucy commented and Ultear laughed bitterly. "You're talking about the same man who sent me to control Jellal when I was barely 11."

"He believed I was strong enough." Juvia spoke, sighing. "But I wasn't. And when I did get strong enough, my powers became harder to control. After the incident, he wouldn't let me use them anymore."

"What incident?" Gray asked, curious.

"We promised never to talk about it again." Meredy replied, giving the bluenette a worried look. Suddenly a crystal owl appeared from no where and flew towards her.

"There are many things we swore never to reveal." Ultear sighed.

"Since this night is all about coming clean, I suppose I need to reveal it as well." Juvia took a deep breath, ready to talk about the moment everything changed for the worst.

Before she could, though, Meredy let out a gasp while reading a note that had been attached to the owl.

Unnoticed by anyone but Natsu, at the same time as Meredy put the note inside her pocket, _**Lucy**_ also reached for her own _**dress pocket**_ , where a **_small piece of paper_** had been carefully placed.

"Meredy?" Ultear asked, concerned.

"Sorry, but I gotta go." The pinkette whispered.

"What?" Everyone fixed her with confused looks; except for Gray, who had his eyes narrowed upon recognizing the magic that had created the owl.

"I'll explain it later." Meredy quickly said before darting towards the woods.

"What was that about?" Lucy wondered.

"I have no idea." Ultear replied, frowning.

"You can discuss that later, now I wanna learn about that incident you were talking about." Gajeel reminded.

"Okay." Juvia nodded, though she remained silent.

"Do you want me to do it?" The older woman softly asked, but she shook her head.

"No. I'm okay, I've overcome it." Turning to her friends, once again solemn, she told the truth. "There was another member of Grimoire Heart, a woman called Stella. She used illusive magic like Rusty Rose. One day, I was training with her and I lost control of my powers." She looked away, ashamed. "She didn't survive it."

"Oh no." Young Wendy gasped.

"I can only imagine how horrible you must've felt." Lucy said.

"It was one of the worst days of my life. After that, I decided not to use demon slaying magic ever again and Master Hades agreed to use a spell to conceal my powers." Juvia explained.

"This magic is rather dangerous if you don't learn how to control it." Silver said.

"Wait, so you use it too?" Gray's eyes were wide.

"Yes. That is the whole reason why I was accepted by Tartarus; though I'll never understand it." This caught Jellal and Ultear's interest.

"So we were right to assume that their guild is formed by demons?" The former asked.

"What?" Everyone stared between the two man in shock. From all of the twists they had learned that night, this was the one they least expected.

* * *

Meredy walked back towards the palace in a slow pace, trying to take in everything that had happened that night.

She had never imagined that things could change so quickly, yet in the matter of minutes everything about Juvia's past had been revealed. There was also the news of Erza's pregnancy, which she and Ultear had only learned that night while Jellal had been aware before.

"Such a mess." The pinkette whispered before her eyes caught sight of the person who had sent her the note.

He was sitting by the stairs leading to the palace's main door, a smile on his face and a shoe by his side. This had her rolling her eyes as she approached him.

"Hey." Lyon stood up.

"Hi." She raised a brow while motioning towards the shoe. "Seriously?"

"I told you that I wanted to give it back, didn't I?" He carefully picked up the crystal object before approaching her.

"You're so silly." Meredy couldn't help but to smile.

"You wound me, milady." A hurt look crossed his face as he dramatically raised a hand to his chest.

"So, did you call me here because of the shoe?" He shook his head.

"No, I wanted to see you again." She sighed. "I thought we agreed that this wouldn't work."

"No, you said this wouldn't work and left before I could reply." Lyon reminded her.

"Well, I was shocked. You kissed me!" It was an accusation, not what he would've expected.

"So you are mad at me for that." Meredy shook her head, exasperated.

"Things are already so chaotic, Lyon. The last thing I need is to add a complicated romance to my list of problems." He raised a brow as a small smile came upon his face.

"A romance?" She cursed herself.

"I didn't mean that. I…" He laughed.

"Look at you, so nervous. Don't worry, I'm not taking your words as an indication that you have feelings for me." His smile fell as he sighed. "Although I can't deny that I…" She interrupted.

"You love Juvia." He avoided her eyes. "And it's okay. But you need to move on instead of fooling yourself into thinking that you might be falling for me."

"I'm not fooling myself." Lyon denied it, shaking his head. "What I felt when I met you was…I can't explain it."

* * *

 _Weeks before..._

 _"Come on, Lyon. It's time to stop moping." The ice mage groaned before lying his head on the bar counter, avoiding her determined eyes._

" _Just leave me alone, will you?" Sherry shook her head, though he missed it._

" _You've been acting like a child for too long. It's time to start moving on." This reminded him of the time when Juvia had said those same words, right after she broke his heart._

 _He had been happy then, although delusional. Had believed that she'd chosen him over Gray, but of course it wasn't true._

 _Of course she still loved the other ice mage and, after Gray finally confessed his love for her, she had jumped right into his arms._

 _Befor that, Lyon had dated her for two weeks, although it wasn't a real relationship. He had only gotten to kiss her a few times and although she didn't push him away, she hadn't replied as enthusiastically as someone in love would._

 _He had known that she didn't feel the same, but when she finally said the words before breaking up with him, it hurt. A lot._ _That is why he was, in Sherry's words, "acting like a child."_

 _For the past 3 weeks, he'd been trying to get over Juvia while constantly being haunted by her. Her recent rise in popularity landed a few Sorcerer Weekly articles and the news of her and Gray's romance managed to get two editions._

" _Just leave him, Sherry. He's a lost cause." Ren, the pinkette's fiancée, said._

" _I'm not giving up." Sherry replied and before Lyon knew what was happening, she had grabbed his arms and was forcing him to stand._

" _What are you doing?" The other man raised a brow._

" _Sherry." Lyon complained._

" _Come on, stand up." Giving a defeated sigh, he did as told._

" _Okay, okay, I'm standing. Happy?" She shook her head. "I won't be happy until I see a smile. We're supposed to be having fun."_

" _It's kinda hard to have fun when they're here." Lyon motioned towards the dance floor, where Juvia had convinced a grumpy Gray Fullbuster to join her._

" _I know, I know." Sherry sighed, giving him a sympathetic look._ _"But you really need to start moving on. Can't avoid her forever." She reminded, to which he groaned._

" _Do I have to do that tonight?" He gave his best pleading look, but it had no effect._

" _Yes, tonight is the perfect night to mark your rebirth." While both men gave her confused looks, she suddenly came in front of him."Now, go! Talk to your friends, dance a little, enjoy yourself!"_

 _He remained in place, eyebrows raised, so she sighed before pushing him in the direction of the dance floor._

 _Unfortunately, since he wasn't prepared, he stumbled and tripped; starting to fall down when someone caught him._

 _"Whoa, careful." The voice belonged to a girl; hair the same color as Sherry's- although brighter- and eyes the color of the sea._

 _He looked towards the stranger, ready to thank her, but before he could do so, her eyes widened in recognition. "Lyon Vastia?" And that was how they had met._

* * *

"You didn't mention that before." Gajeel glared at the water mage.

"A guild of demons?" Lucy wondered, terrified.

"Yes, most of them are indeed demons from the book of Zeref." Silver replied before frowning. "I think that, besides myself, Alison's the only one who's human."

"That name again. You never mentioned her before." Ultear turned to Juvia, suspicious.

"Why didn't you tell us about her?" Jellal wondered.

"So even you don't know who this Alison is?" Gray was shocked; he had assumed that they would know everything regarding Tartarus since it had been their plan to have Juvia infiltrate them.

 ** _Alison_**. Meanwhile Lucy's eyes widened and she gasped upon finally remembering where she had read that name. Discreetly pulling out the _**note**_ from her pocket she took a look, focusing on the part that said: (...) s _omething about Alison, I don't know who she is._

"What're you doing, Luce?" Natsu whispered, approaching her.

"Nothing." The blonde said quickly, hiding the note before turning to the water mage. "Who is Alison, Juvia?"

"I don't want to talk about it." The bluenette shook her head and Gajeel raised a brow.

"I thought you were going to tell us everything, so why are you being so secretive about this person?" Juvia bit her lip, unwilling to talk.

"What did she say to you?" Silver asked, suddenly worried.

"She was the one...She convinced me." This had everyone confused.

"Convinced you of what?" Jellal asked, stepping closer to her. Ultear shared a look with him, both having an idea what Juvia was referring to.

"She was the one who told me about Erza." The latter revealed at last, unaware that the red head was watching them. "She said that they were going to use her and the only way to stop them was to kill her. I can't believe I let her manipulate me; I should've known better!"

"So she's the one who really wants to get rid of me?" Erza said, revealing her presence.

"Erza?" Natsu stared at her, eyes wide.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Lucy said, relieved.

"What are you doing here?" Ultear fixed the red head with panic.

"You should've stayed hidden." Jellal told her, shaking his head.

"Did you really expect me to?" Erza asked and he sighed.

"No, I didn't." His worried eyes surveyed her face. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'll be fine." They stared at each other until she wasn't able to hold it anymore and approached him. His arms encircled her as soon as she was close enough and Erza hugged him tightly.

Just a few moments later, Jellal pulled apart so that he could inspect her; searching for injuries.

"I'm okay." His eyes met hers once again; fear and regret in them.

"I should've never left you alone." Erza smiled, gently taking his face between her hands.

"Don't beat yourself for it; I understand that you had to come." He brought her close once more.

"Thank you. I promise I'll stay by your side from now on." Erza knew he was referring to the pregnancy and the reassurance was enough to ease her worries a bit.

Almost forgetting that they weren't alone, the couple leant in for a soft kiss.

"Awww, you two!" Lucy and Levy shook their heads, knowing smiles on their faces.

"You okay?" Meanwhile, Gray looked at Juvia, whose face was suddenly devoid of color. She had stumbled a bit before falling to her knees, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I can't believe what I...What I did." She sobbed, a hand covering her mouth.

"I am so sorry, Erza." The couple reluctantly pulled apart and Erza gave her friend a reassuring smile.

"It's alright; Jellal explained everything to me. I know you believed that it was the only way to save everyone." She glanced towards the bloody body that everyone had forgotten about.

"I suppose we have no more use for this illusion." Ultear made it disappear with a flick of her hand.

"So, what do we do now?" Gajeel wondered.

"We need more information about this Alison woman." Jellal replied, turning to his sister.

"Yes, we need to learn her motives and who exactly she is." Ultear added while Gajeel turned to Juvia, firm.

"Who is she?" The bluenette gulped.

"I..." She knew that as soon as she said the words, it would all become real.

"Juliet, please." Jellal pleaded.

Juvia looked at him, then Erza.

The memory of what she'd done less than an hour before was enough to make her decide. So she took a deep breath before eyeing her brother pointedly. "She's our mother; Alison Fernandes."

* * *

 _At Tartarus' base..._

Alison Fernandes entered the room where all the demons were reunited, still discussing Juvia Lockser and whether or not to retrieve her.

"Where is Erza?" Kyoka asked, quickly noticing the red head's absence.

"Have you failed to capture her?" Keyes wondered.

"No, I didn't fail. I simply thought it was best to wait." They gave her confused looks.

"Why should we wait?" Seilah asked.

"As I was spying on her, I learned something that could change everything." Alison replied.

"I find that hard to believe." Torafusa disagreed.

"Nothing can change our plan to eliminate Erza Scarlet." Kyoka reminded.

"Not even the fact that she's pregnant?" Alison asked, raising a brow.

This reveal earned many shocked gasps from the demons.

"Pregnant?" Seilah asked, eyes wide.

"Are you certain?" Keyes wondered, amused.

"Of course I'm sure. I've had two children, or have you forgotten?" Alison replied, smirking, before approaching the group and crossing her arms. "But this child is different. I could feel its immense power even from afar."

"So what are you saying?" Tempester asked, confused.

"The prophecy." Kyoka realized, eyes wide.

"Do you think she could be the one?" Torafusa asked, a thoughtful look upon his face.

"I think so, yes." Alison replied, nodding.

"This truly changes everything." Seilah whispered while Kyoka spoke.

"We'll await Lord Zeref's return, then. He should tell us what to do about Erza Scarlet and her... child." The others nodded in agreement. They knew better than to harm the reequip mage if there was a chance she could be involved in the prophecy that was Zeref's whole motivation.

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **What did you think of the flashbacks with Gruvia and Lyredy? I've given up on following the canon for this story; the ideas of how to change things just keep coming.**

 **About the big reveal here, did anyone expect Alison to be Juvia and Jellal's mother?**

 **Lastly, I need you to pay attention to the note Lucy was reading. It will be very important for the story. **

**Next chapter:** **The Complications Of Love. **It will focus mostly on Lyredy as there'll be flashbacks to all the times they've met so far. You'll also get to learn a bit more about Alison Fernandes and the reveal of Erza's pregnancy will send Juvia over the edge, endangering everyone.

 **Think we can try 5 reviews by July 12th?**


	7. The Complications Of Love

**REPOSTING! (Just reminding you of this story before I post ch 8)**

 **Hey, people.**

 **So, here we go with another chapter of Unforgivable. This one's mostly Lyredy, but there's also some Jerza, Gruvia and Juvia x Silver. **

**I know this story seems to be dragging on, considering we've spent 7 chapters talking about one night. But I promise, chapter 8 will be the last one set on the night of the Ball; then we'll move on to a few days latter. There's still a lot to come to this story!**

 **Now, for the shoutouts:**

 **glodenglowingsnowdemon : Yeah, anything involving Alison isn't good; she's possibly one of the darkest characters I've ever written. So glad you're loving it! I hope I won't; I definitely plan on writing as much as I can while I'm in England, but I don't know if I'll be able to post chapters as frequently.**

 **HymnForTheRain : lol it was definitely ridiculous/obvious for Alison to be their mother. I thought everyone would just get it right. Yeah, you should've stuck to your gut. Glad you loved it! This one might be pretty boring if you're not a fan of Lyredy, but there are some interesting Juvia scenes. **

**Juvia Fulbuster and Lyon Vasta : Hey, don't you worry. I understand; I am in the same situation (so many stories I want to read, but writing is my priority). Good luck with your story, hope you get to post it soon. **

**All my love to you too ;)**

 **Guest : Thanks; I'm glad you like it. I will definitely continue. Am working on chapter 8 right now. **

**Mikasa-Chan : lol sorry for driving you crazy. I'm definitely a PLOT TWISTER; sometimes I worry about the fact that I can't seem to follow the plot on any of my stories. Ideas just come of how to change it, so I do it. **

**Happy reading! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.**

* * *

 _"A flower can't choose the place where it blooms, and a child can't choose the parents she's born to"_

 **― Hiro Mashima**

* * *

"What I felt when I met you was…I can't explain it." Meredy sighed once again.

"You're reading too much into it." Lyon shook his head.

"No, I don't think I am. You saved me, Meredy, in more ways than one." It was her turn to look away, unsurely. "Look at me."

"Why me?" She finally asked the question that had been plaguing her mind for weeks.

"I don't know." He admitted, before a determined look cam upon his face. "Maybe it was fate, destiny, or whatever you might call it."

"I don't believe in fate." She told him.

"I do. I felt it when I met Juvia all those months ago and again when I met you. It was like I was meant to find you." She laughed, shaking her head.

"That's nonsense." Lyon shrugged.

"Maybe. But after the amount of times we've met so unexpectedly, it just feels too coincidental."

* * *

 _They thought back to the first time they had met, on the night of Lamia Scale's big party._

 _After Meredy rescued him from a rather awkward fall,_ _Lyon decided to ask her to dance- mostly because_ _of Sherry's pressure as she gave him her best scary face; so he didn't want to make her mad ._

 _While at first the pinkette had been caught off guard, she decided to accept his request._ _So after they helped each other stand up, he took her hand and led her through the dance floor, ignoring other people's curious looks directed at his partner._

 _Amongst dancing, they talked a lot and she revealed that her name was Meredy, but that was all he got to know about her. She mostly asked him about his life, having known who he was at first glance._

 _Lyon didn't know why, but he ended up confiding in her about his situation with Juvia and Gray._

 _Maybe it was the fact that she was so sweet and kind or perhaps he'd just been tired of bottling it all in and pretending like nothing had happened._

 _In any case, he told her everything, and she was very supportive. When she reassured him that he it was okay for him to have eluded himself thinking that Juvia loved him and hadn't deserved to get his heart broken; his chest was filled with warmth._

 _Everyone who knew about his heartbreak had told him he was the one to blame for it; that he should've known Juvia didn't feel the same and should've broken up with her before._

 _However, these people failed to understand that he'd been in love with her, therefore willing to accept even a fake relationship if it meant that he'd get to be near her. But Meredy understood, and he was grateful for that._

 _It was incredible how easy it was to talk to her; he couldn't deny that he was having a great time. He wanted to learn more about this mysterious woman, but she didn't provide more information. It was truly intriguing._

 _When they got tired of other people's stares, he decided to take her along the Gardens of Lamia Scale, wanting to be alone with her. She'd followed him after initial reluctance and soon enough they found themselves in the middle of the maze._

 _With no one in sight, he felt more comfortable as they danced a bit more. She had been laughing after sharing a story about her mother-whom she hadn't named yet- and her happiness was contagious, so Lyon joined her._

 _He felt light, free and happy like he hadn't in a long time. He wanted to thank her for causing this effect, but before he could, there had been the sound of a giggle. Then another. Her eyes widened, in recognition, he supposed._

 _Meredy removed her arms from around his neck and walked towards the wall of the maze. After conjuring a sword, she had carefully and silently created a hole in it. And while he'd been confused at first, his own eyes soon widened at the scene on the other side._

 _There was Erza Scarlet, unmistakably, lying on the grass with a man by her side. Jellal Fernandes, Lyon quickly noted; recognizing the escaped convict that the council had been avidly searching for years._

 _The two were laughing, unaware of the eyes watching them. Then she moved in to kiss Jellal, much to the ice mage's surprise, and his cheeks warmed up once he realized that she wasn't wearing anything. The thin blanket that Erza had probably conjured to hide them fell a bit, revealing her naked back and once he looked around, Lyon spotted their clothes a few feet away._

 _His blush increased upon realizing what the two most-likely had been doing before._

 _"_ _I knew it." Meredy whispered, a smile on her face._

 _"_ _Knew what?" He questioned, but before she could reply there was the loud ticking of a clock. It was already midnight._

 _"_ _Oh no." She panicked. "I have to go." She moved away from the hole, missing the moment Jellal stepped away from Erza and began gathering his clothes in a haste._

 _"_ _What?" Lyon was confused._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, but I really need to go." Then she began walking away and he grabbed her arm._

 _"_ _Wait! I'd like to see you again." Meredy froze, so he let it go._

 _"_ _I can't." He was even more confused._

 _"_ _Why not?" She didn't reply, instead running away once again._

 _Amidst her haste, a crystal heel that matched her silver dress came off. He noticed it just as it happened and yelled for her to stop, but she didn't. Kneeling down and picking it up, Lyon inspected the shoe as a small smile came upon his face._

 _This reminded him of a familiar story and he smiled. He would definitely see her again._

* * *

 _As he had expected, they met again during 2nd day of the Games. He had been having a drink with Ren while discussing wedding details-Sherry and her fiancée had long since asked him to be the best man, which he had gladly accepted-when he saw her._

 _She entered the restaurant quietly, trying to go by unnoticed. But he had somehow sensed her presence and when he looked back, his eyes widened. Quickly excluding himself, he had walked towards her and shocked cerulean eyes met his before he went outside of the bar._

 _She had followed him as he led them to a secluded alley. "What are you doing here, Meredy?"_

 _"I… I was looking for Juvia." Hurt crossed his face at the last word, as it always did._

 _"I see." A small smile came upon her face._

 _"I saw you fighting yesterday, you did good." He was taken aback._

 _"You've been watching the Games?" By now he knew exactly who she was and what guild she belonged to; so it came as a surprise that she would be so close to the stadium when the council was still hunting her._

 _Then again, their focus had been on Jellal recently, so perhaps it wasn't so dangerous for her after all._

 _"I couldn't resist." Meredy admitted._

 _"Well, I'm glad to see you. I still have your shoe." Confusion filled her eyes._

 _"What shoe?" He smiled._

 _"When you ran away the other night, you dropped it. Don't you remember?" Understanding crossed her face._

 _"Oh. I didn't really pay attention to it." Lyon shook his head, laughing._

 _"How could someone not notice that they were missing a heel?" Meredy shrugged._

 _"I've never been one to care much about clothes or shoes." To which he gave her a charming smile._

 _"Well for someone who doesn't care, you looked beautiful that night." She blushed, a smile coming upon her face._

 _"Thank you." They were silent for a few moments, staring at each other unsurely. Until he heard the familiar voice of Ren calling, so Lyon decided to go back._

 _Before he did so, the ice mage boldly took her right hand and pressed a light kiss to it, surprising Meredy. He was gone before she could say anything about it, leaving her with his last words. "Till next time, Cinderella."_

* * *

 _The next time they met was on the seventh day, while dragons had invaded the city of Crocus. The night was hard for everyone as they were forced to fight against the most powerful beings there were and many tragedies happened._

 _One of those was Gray Fullbuster's mysterious death-then his revival- which brought sorrow to all who were involved._

 _Juvia, who had been dating him for weeks; Meredy who never got over the time when she almost killed him back on Tenrou Island; and Lyon, who had been harboring hatred because he lost Juvia to him._

 _He had been forced to watch Juvia's desperate and broken reaction after Gray's death. Once again, the confirmation that she loved his younger brother stabbed at his already broken heart. Seeing her tears and anguish screams was too much to bear and he'd wanted to walk away, but knew he couldn't._

 _He had forced himself to stay, grateful when Meredy knelt by Juvia's side and took the bluenette into her arms; comforting her like Lyon should have._

 _Afterwards, when time was suddenly turned back and the tragedy was somehow prevented, he was forced to watch Gray and Juvia's reunion. Their love was so clear that his heart hurt._

 _He wanted that, always had. At first he had wanted it from her, but after meeting Meredy, he began wondering if perhaps there was someone else for him._

 _After all, during the night they had met and spent together, it had felt so natural and right. She understood him, his mistakes and hopes; and he understood her desire for a normal life that seemed impossible._

 _When she suggested they leave the happy couple for a while and led him away from the battle field, Lyon wondered if perhaps she thought the same._

 _"We should still keep an eye out for the dragons." She warned once they were safely hidden behind a fountain, close to where Juvia and Gray were hugging._

 _"Meredy." He called her name._

 _"What's wrong?" Her worried eyes surveyed him, thinking that he was injured._

 _"Nothing. In fact, I think that, for once, everything might be right." She raised a brow, confused._

 _"How could that be? We're in the middle of war against dragons." He nodded._

 _"I know, I know. It's just… You being here. It feels right." The look on her face was priceless._

 _"What?" Meredy was caught by surprise, that was clear._

 _"Watch out!" The scream came from Gray, who had just pulled apart from the embrace._

 _Lyon barely managed to find the three dragons that were aiming at Meredy's back and had to throw both of them on the ground in order to avoid the laser beams._

 _"Thanks, man." He screamed a thanks to the other man, though neither him nor Juvia could see him since he was now hidden behind the fountain._

 _"You're crushing me." Meredy pointed out and he quickly removed himself from her._

 _"Sorry." She stared at him in confusion."Why did you do that?"_

 _"Do what?" He asked back, just as confused. "Saved my life. I could've avoided it on my own."_

 _"I'm not sure." It had come as a reflex, he hadn't really thought before saving her._

 _"Well, thank you." Meredy gave a smile and she looked so beautiful his heart stopped._

 _There it was. The familiar feeling every time he had looked at Juvia or kissed her while they had dated._ _It was overwhelming, a warmth that he didn't feel often._

 _Thoughtless once again, Lyon leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, catching both of them by surprise._

* * *

 _Present day, at Tartaros' base..._

"What about Juvia Lockser? What's to be done about her?" Torafusa was the one who asked.

"Should we retrieve her?" Seilah wondered.

"She has become a liability." Kyoka said.

"It wasn't my daughter's fault." Alison reminded them. "They tricked her into thinking that she had killed Erza Scarlet."

"She should know better than that." Keyes said, a threatening glow in his hollow eyes.

"After spending years training under Hades' command and then managing to infiltrate us, I expected more." Tempester said and Alison's eyes widened.

"Infiltrating?" The demons laughed.

"We're not stupid, Alison." Kyoka said while Seilah smirked. "Of course we knew the girl wasn't truly interested in serving Lord Zeref."

"Then why did you let her in?" The bluenette wondered.

"It was our Lord's idea. Just as with Silver, we didn't question it." Kyoka replied.

"But now it might be time to end this tragic tale." Keyes said.

"No. I won't allow you to eliminate her." Alison shook her head. "She still has so much potential."

"We can't kill her yet anyways." Torafusa said before anyone could retort.

"You're right. We must ensure she isn't the one the prophecy speaks about first." Seilah remembered.

"So we'll wait." Tempester said.

"I already have a lovely idea of how we can punish her." Kyoka smirked, delighted.

* * *

 _In the Royal Palace..._

"She's our mother; Alison Fernandes."

"Your mother?" Ultear asked.

"No." Jellal shook his head, refusing to believe it.

"I thought you said she was dead?" Gray remembered.

"She is dead!" The former insisted. "She died shortly before Juliet disappeared; I remember it so clearly."

"I know, I thought that too." Juvia sighed. "But it wasn't true. That's just what she wanted us to believe."

"What kind of mother would make her own children believe that she was dead?" Lucy asked, completely shocked.

Her face paled while she held tightly onto _**the note**_ , which didn't go unnoticed by Natsu. Confusion and curiosity crossed his face, but he said nothing.

"How long have you known this?" Jellal turned to Juvia, accusatory, while pulling apart from Erza.

"A few weeks." Seeing anger cross his face, the bluenette quickly added "She insisted that I shouldn't tell you."

"I didn't know Alison had two children. She only talked about her daughter." Silver whispered at the same time, staring between the two siblings in confusion.

"You should've told me, Juliet!" Jellal shook his head.

"Juvia. I don't intend to go back to being Juliet Fernandes; that was 10 years ago." She replied.

"So your mother wants to kill me?" Erza spoke, trying to appear calm and unafraid.

"She's not my mother." Jellal insisted. "She never was."

"And I thought my dad was difficult." Lucy commented.

"I don't understand. Why would she just leave? Why fake her death?" Levy wondered.

"Because she's evil." Everyone raised brows at Juvia's response.

"That's not an answer." Natsu told her, crossing his arms.

"It is. Alison is…darker than any human I've ever met." Silver said, catching their attention.

"She joined Tartarus because she wanted to; she wanted to be close to Zeref. She's completely insane!" Juvia told everyone, shaking her head.

"And now she's coming after Erza." Lucy reminded and Jellal stepped closer to the red head. "She'll have to go through me first."

"Me too. I know I didn't protect you before, but I will do now." Juvia told Erza.

"We'll all make sure she doesn't get near you." Lucy reassured and the latter smiled.

"Thank you, but you don't need to. I can handle myself just fine." Ultear shook her head at this.

"Not at the moment. You can't use too much magic anymore, so that makes you vulnerable." This had most of them confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

* * *

Unknown by anyone, two figures watched their conversation through a lacrima.

"What do you think they're talking about?" The first asked. She had brown hair and eyes.

"I'm not sure." The other frowned; her hair was dark and long and her eyes a bright green.

Their names were Milliana and Kagura; and they were members of Mermaid Heel.

* * *

"Why can't you use magic?" Lucy eyed the red head worriedly.

Erza and Jellal shared a look before she sighed. "I suppose it's no use keeping it a secret."

"Keeping what secret?" Gajeel asked, impatient.

They didn't reply; both had nervous looks upon their faces as Jellal approached her once again, taking her hand.

"If you want me to…" Erza shook her head.

"No, I can do it." Ultear rolled her eyes.

"If it's left to the two of you, they'll never know." Turning to the impatient group, she revealed the secret that would change everything. "Erza's pregnant."

"What?" Lucy asked, eyes wide.

"No way!" Gray and Gajeel screamed in unison, shaking their heads.

"Damn! I knew something about your smell was different!" Natsu yelled.

"But what does that mean?" Young Wendy whispered, confused, and Levy knelt down before whispering something in her ear, which made her blush.

"No." Meanwhile, Juvia shook her head, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Juliet..." Jellal worriedly called upon hearing thunder.

"No, I…What did I do?" The bluenette dropped to her knees, crying, while the rain began to fall.

"She's losing control again." Ultear remarked, worried.

"Juvia!" Gray called, but the only answer were her sobs. She was muttering things, inaudible to anyone but the dragon slayers, who flinched.

"Pregnant. A baby. Killed. No, I couldn't…Never forgive…" The ever present necklace around her neck was glowing dark blue and they could feel her magic now. Her real magic; it was truly much stronger than they could've imagined.

"Ultear, you must stop her before someone gets hurt!" Jellal pleaded, stepping in front of Erza protectively before turning around and wrapping his arms around her.

"Natsu!" Lucy squeaked when he suddenly grabbed her.

"Sorry, Luce. Just stay behind me." He ignored her sounds of protest as she reached for her keys.

"This power is so strong!" Levy said while hugging Wendy; Gajeel stood in front of them.

"Juvia, please. Calm down." Gray pleaded as the rain fell harder, quickly drenching them.

"Step away, son!" Silver warned while quickly approaching the bluenette and kneeling down by her side.

"What are you doing?" Ultear asked, eying him suspiciously.

"Helping her control it." They watched in shock as ice seemed to have flown out of his body, freezing the grass where him and Juvia were. "Juvia, can you hear me?"

"Sorry. So sorry. No, not the baby." She was still whispering, clearly having a panic attack.

"It wasn't your fault. Alison tricked you." She shook her head.

"No, I…I killed…" Silver placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Erza is alive. You didn't kill her." It wasn't enough. The rain wasn't stopping and a dark cloud began to envelop her; the necklace no longer able to contain her demon slaying powers.

"This is seriously so strong!" Gajeel yelled, impressed. He had turned into his iron-shadow dragon form while Natsu was in fire-lightening mode.

They weren't sure what could happen if Juvia lost control of her powers, but weren't willing to risk finding out. The reminder that a woman had once died because of it was enough to push them to be cautious.

Jellal thought the same; he had activated his full power and was prepared to do whatever it took to protect Erza. Meanwhile, she had a frustrated look upon her face, but a hand pressed against her stomach reminded why she couldn't fight.

"You should get out of here!" Ultear warned, knowing they wouldn't.

"I'm sorry!" Juvia screamed loudly just before water flew out of her body in all directions.

Thankfully the others were able to block it. However, Gajeel groaned in pain after using his iron sword. "Damn it!" They were shocked that the water had somehow destroyed most of it.

"How?" Lucy stared at him in confusion.

"It's poisoned." Ultear explained. She had used ice magic to block it; same as Gray.

"Poisoned?" The latter asked.

"That's what makes her different from a normal water user. She can turn any liquid into poison; even blood." Jellal replied and their eyes widened.

"That's cool." Natsu said; the others didn't agree so much.

Meanwhile, Silver sighed. "I supposed that leaves me with no choice." Before they could wonder why he seemed unaffected by the poisonous water, he had brought a hand to Juvia's forehead.

After a few seconds, the bluenette fell forward, clearly unconscious.

"What the hell did you do?" Ultear asked, murder in her eyes.

"I knocked her out. It was the only way to stop the power flow." He explained and, sure enough, the rain began to dimmer until it was gone.

"Was that really necessary?" Lucy asked, raising a brow.

"Juvia!" Meanwhile, a worried Gray rushed towards his girlfriend, taking her from Silver's arms.

"She'll be fine, son." The latter reassured him.

"After everything that happened tonight, I doubt that." Jellal disagreed.

"She'll never forgive herself; it will be like when Stella died all over again." Ultear whispered, shaking her head at the memories.

"We'll help her move on." Erza said, stepping away from Jellal's protection.

"Yeah, we won't let her keep blaming herself for something this Alison had her do." Lucy nodded in agreement.

"What about the rest? Will you forgive her?" Ultear wondered and they silenced. That was the question crossing all of their minds. Could they forgive her? Could they move past the fact that she had lied about everything?

* * *

 **So, what did you think of Lyredy? Too cliche? I just couldn't help myself; that Cinderella thing just came to mind and I knew I had to write it since it fits them so much.**

 **Did you like how I revealed Erza's pregnancy and everyone's reaction? I had so much fun writing that part!**

 **Was anyone curious about how Juvia's demon slaying powers worked? I really wanted to give you a sneak peak since they probably won't be used anytime soon in this story.**

 **I think it made sense for her to lose control after learning that she had "killed" Erza's baby, don't you?**

 **Lastly, do you have any ideas what the prophecy's really about?**

 **Next chapter will be called** **Everything Changed. You can count on plenty of Jerza scenes/flashbacks, some Lyredy, Gruvia and NaLu. You'll also get to read the entirety of the note Lucy is hiding; which I have already stressed is VERY IMPORTANT to the story. **

**Can we try 4 reviews by tomorrow?**


	8. Everything Changed

**(UPDATING: I added a sneak peek of ch 10 at the end because it's almost finnished.)**

 **Hey, people.**

 **I assumed the last chapter wouldn't become very popular because of the heavy focus on Lyredy.**

 **Hopefully you'll like this one. There are plenty** **of Jerza scenes plus some Gruvia Angst, NaLu and important info is revealed.**

 **For the shoutouts:**

 **Zerza : You'll get your answer very soon. All I can tell is that Alison knows a lot of things and she definitely knows who Jellal is. That scene was just irritating in the manga; there should've been a kiss. I know it's awkward, but it's not like they could've gone anywhere. They weren't really thinking at the moment either.**

 **MasterGildarts :** **So glad someone likes Lyredy and the super cheesy plot I chose for them. Of course, I just love writing people's reactions to the big reveals. Just wait until the rest of the world finds out that Erza's pregnant.**

 **glodenglowingsnowdemon : No worries, I'd already finished ch 8. It's one of my favorites so far. Thanks a lot for what you said :):) I'm very glad that you're enjoying it! ;)  
**

 **Guest : Thanks :) **

**Happy reading! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.**

* * *

 _"It's your words that give me courage. They've become my light and will guide me towards the right path once again."_

 _ **-Jellal Fernandes**_

* * *

July 7th, X791…

 _"I know that if the two of us come together, we can take on anything." Jellal said while him and Erza were fighting against the dragons._

 _She smiled at this, blushing a bit, before continuing to defeat the monsters. Since there were too many of them, she decided to try using Heaven's Will to wipe them out more effectively._

 _However, the moment she transformed, Erza regretted it. Pain overwhelmed her and she fell to her knees, holding onto her stomach- where it was more prevalent._

 _"Erza?" Jellal asked, worried and confused._

 _"Damn it!" The red head whispered, remembering Porlyusica's warning earlier that day. **You should try not to use magic, it can be dangerous for both of you.**_

 _Only a few hours before, Erza had learned that she was carrying a child after the healer revealed it. The shock had yet to wear off and she still found it unbelievable that she was actually pregnant._

 _"Erza, talk to me. What's wrong?" Jellal tried to fight off all the dragons while glancing worriedly at her._

 _"I'm fine." She attempted, but the pain was just too much, so she groaned._

 _Unsure how to chase it away, she chose to let go of the reequip. Much to her relief, it started to diminish as soon as she was back in her regular outfit and the red head sighed._

 _"Okay, that's the last of them." Having used all of his power to eliminate the dragons, Jellal quickly approached her, kneeling by her side._

 _"Thank you." Erza smiled gratefully when he helped her sit up. Even though the pain wasn't as intense as before, it was still present._

 _"Is everything okay?" He surveyed her, searching for injuries, until his eyes fell on her hands, which were still pressed against her stomach._

 _For a moment, he froze as his face paled. "Erza?"_

 _She sighed. "I…" She knew that she should tell him; he deserved to know. But how? How could she tell him when she herself hadn't yet completely taken it in?_

 _"You look exhausted. We should find cover somewhere else." Jellal said; breaking the awkward silence._

 _"No, first I need…" Erza struggled with the words. "I have to tell you something."_

 _"What is it? Are you alright?" His eyes showed fear._

 _"I don't know." She admitted, sighing. "Everything's such a mess and I…"_

 _"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Jellal asked once she was silent._

 _"What?" Her eyes widened. How did he know?_

 _"I sensed something was different, but I wasn't sure until now." He motioned towards her hands, which hadn't left her stomach. "You're carrying a child."_

 _"I am." Erza confirmed and he gulped, closing his eyes._

 _She could tell he was going to say something about it, but before he could, they were attacked again. With no choice but to fight against the dragons, Jellal tried to end it quickly so that they could talk._

 _It didn't work that way, though. There were too many monsters and, by the time he managed to take her somewhere safe after defeating them all, Erza had fallen unconscious because of her wounds._

 _So they never got a chance to discuss the reveal that changed everything._

* * *

 _Present day..._

"What about the rest? Will you forgive her?" Ultear wondered

"I will." Gray whispered, settling Juvia's head comfortably against his chest. "It will take time, but I know that I'll move on. I love her too much to let this destroy our relationship."

"I'm proud of you, Gray." Erza cast him a smile. "I always hoped you'd find someone worth fighting for."

"I didn't think that would ever happen, but I'm glad it did." Lucy added, also smiling.

"But you'd better take good care of her. Unless you want to get your ass kicked." Gajeel spoke next and Levy raised a brow.

"I don't think it's the time for this." He shrugged. "It's always the time to remind stripper to be good to Juvia."

"I promised I'd always be there for her, so I'll continue to do so." Gray sighed. "But after what I learned tonight…I just need to be alone."

"You can go if you want. Juvia will understand." Erza reassured him.

"Don't encourage him, Titania." Gajeel narrowed his eyes. "He's not going anywhere."

"Just let him be." Levy tried, but the iron dragon slayer was having none of it.

"She needs you right now, so you can't leave." Gray glanced towards Juvia's sleeping face.

"She's asleep; she doesn't need anyone." Natsu pointed out.

"Besides, after what she did, she can't blame Gray for taking some time off." Lucy added.

"I don't want to leave her, but I can't stay here anymore." Silver spoke next, catching Gray's attention.

"Then go, son. Juvia's strong; she'll be fine." The ice mage stared at his father worriedly

"What about you, dad? I mean, now that the demons know you helped us, won't they…" The latter didn't allow him to finish the sentence.

"Don't worry about me, okay?" Silver knelt down by Gray's side before placing both hands on his shoulders. "I'm glad I got to see you again, son. You've grown to be exactly as I imagined and I couldn't be prouder."

"Dad…" Gray was interrupted.

"I promise that I'll do everything I can to help you defeat Tartarus. You can count on me, okay?" The ice mage nodded silently while Silver turned to the red head. "I'll try to get more information from Alison and why she's after you."

Erza nodded. "Thank you. I know this puts you in great danger." He shrugged.

"I'm used to danger. I'll be just fine." He glanced towards his son. "Focus your concern on Juvia. She will need you."

"Okay." Silver seemed unsure for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Gray. The ice mage returned the hug with one arm while keeping the other around Juvia.

Once they broke apart, the older man stood up before glancing at the group. "I'll contact you once I have more information."

"Now what?" Lucy asked once he was gone.

"I'll take Juvia back to the hotel room; she needs her rest." Gray replied.

"I think I'm gonna go too; I'm beat." Gajeel added.

"Aren't you returning to the party?" Levy asked, trying not to appear disappointed.

"Nah, this dancing thing is really boring." He turned to the ice mage. "I can take Juvia; you just do whatever you need to do."

"I won't be gone for too long, I promise." Gajeel approached him before kneeling down.

"You'd better not be." It was a threat and Gray knew better than to ignore it.

"Take care of her." He pleaded and Gajeel nodded.

"I always do." Knowing it was true, the ice mage gave him a grateful look before pressing a soft kiss to Juvia's cold forehead.

After giving her to his friend, he stood up and began to walk away; the dragon slayer following him moments later.

"Can we talk?" Meanwhile, Erza turned to Jellal as discreetly as possible.

"Okay." He nodded and they also left.

"I'll go too." Lucy quickly said, slipping away before anyone could ask.

"Guess I'll go back to the party. Alone." Levy said, frustrated.

"I'll come with you." Wendy told her, making her smile before the two friends also left.

It wasn't long before Natsu went after Lucy, leaving only Ultear. The time mage sighed, overwhelmed by all that happened that night, before deciding to look for Meredy.

* * *

Silence. It can be soothing, calming but also nerve-wrecking. In the case of the couple who stood in front of each other, it was definitely the latter.

"So…" Jellal began. "We never got a chance to talk."

"I'm sorry about that. I've been so busy with the city's reconstruction that there wasn't time." Erza apologized.

"I know, Erza. But we can't keep avoiding the subject forever." He replied.

"So, have you thought about it?" He nodded.

"I have." Looking towards her stomach, Jellal sighed. "It's still unbelievable. I would have never imagined that it would happen like this."

"Neither would I. I always imagined it would happen in the future, when we…" Stopping herself, she looked away, blushing.

"So you have thought about the future?" He inquired, curious.

"Haven't you?" It was his turn to look away.

"That future…isn't possible. So I don't allow myself to think about it." Erza was surprised.

"Why do you say that? Don't you believe that the day will come when you are finally forgiven?" Jellal shook his head.

"I fear it may never come." She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I know it will. One day, people will see you as I do and they will realize that you don't deserve to be locked away when there's so much good you can do out here." He smiled, touched by her words.

"Thank you, for believing in me." She returned it.

"Always. I always believed in you." There was silence once again as they thought about all the times they had believed in each other.

Somehow, Jellal's thoughts were diverted towards one of his darkest memories, of the day he had tried to take his own life.

* * *

 _"What are you doing?" A loud scream echoed through the forest once the familiar pinkette found him on the floor. There was a glass in his hands and it didn't take her long to realize that the liquid inside it wasn't wine or juice._

 _"Ultear!" Meredy frantically screamed for the older woman; who ran towards them._

 _"What's going on?" She quickly asked, concerned._

 _"Not so loud, please." Jellal pleaded and she raised a brow, confused._

 _"What's wrong with him?" The pinkette replied, eyes still wide from shock._

 _"I think he tried to kill himself." Ultear's face paled._

 _"What?" Looking back at the blue haired man, her eyes found the glass. Kneeling down, she tried to take it, but he didn't let her. "Jellal, stop being stubborn. Give me that!"_

 _"No, it wasn't enough. I need more." He protested. Unfortunately for him, his weakened state allowed her to take the glass rather effortlessly._

 _"It's definitely poison." Ultear realized after sniffling the strange liquid inside. "What the hell were you thinking?"_

 _"I can't do this anymore, Ultear." He whispered brokenly. "I can't go on without her." He didn't need to say the name; they knew exactly who he meant._

 _"I know it's hard, but suicide is not the option." Meredy gently told him, kneeling by his side and rubbing his shoulder._

 _"Meredy's right. Didn't you promise Erza to keep living and trying to atone for your sins?" Jellal glanced towards the floor, ashamed._

 _"I didn't want to break my promise. But I'm not strong enough to live without her; I just can't." He was nearly crying by the end and both women gave him pitying looks._

 _"Yes, you can. You are stronger than even you know." Ultear also knelt down in front of him. "Trust me when I say that you will get through this."_

 _"Honestly, I don't think I even want to." He replied, giving a defeated sigh. "What's the point of atoning for my sins when the reason I chose to do it isn't here anymore?" He had a point; they couldn't deny. But still; she knew that Erza would never forgive her if she allowed him to just give up._

 _"You can't give up. If not for us or yourself, do it for Erza." She pleaded, Meredy joining in a second later._

 _"Please, Jellal. I don't want to lose you." Hearing the sadness in her tone and the sobs that followed her words was enough to remind him why he needed to stay. But still, death tempted him._

 _He thought about a place where he could be happy and peaceful; free of his past and his sins, with Erza by his side. Heaven. The Tower of Heaven._

 _Jellal frowned once the memory of what he had done came to mind. Enslavement, kidnapping, murder. He would never go to heaven, there was no way._

 _However, he was so overwhelmed by pain and sorrow at that moment that even the thought of Hell didn't seem so bad in comparison._

 _He was just about to reach for the glass once again when another memory stopped him. This time of the promise he had made to Erza once they had met again during the battle against the Oracion Seis._ ** _You have a duty...to stay alive._**

 ** _"I will."_** _He sighed, accepting his fate. Even if she was dead, he couldn't fail her. His heart wouldn't allow him to do so._

* * *

"There was a time…" He began, and Erza stared at him curiously. "After you were declared dead, I couldn't take it. I couldn't keep going when the sole reason why I had decided to was gone."

"Jellal…" She had a feeling that she wouldn't want to learn what he was about to say.

"I tried to stay strong, but it eventually became too much." He paused, frowning. "So I tried to kill myself."

Her face paled and her hand dropped. "Why?"

"Life without you…It was too hard." Jellal admitted, swallowing hard. "It killed me every day that you weren't there. I didn't have any reason to live."

"That wasn't true. You had Meredy, and Ultear." Erza told him.

"And I was grateful to them for being there, but it wasn't enough." Looking deeply into her eyes, he said: "I needed you."

"You have me now." She took his hand and squeezed it.

"But I don't deserve it." He repeated the words once again. "After what I've done… I don't deserve to be with you."

"So you'll push me away even when I need you most?" Erza wondered, frustrated.

"No, I can't keep doing that either." He shook his head, leaving her confused. "I'm not strong enough."

Jellal brought a free hand to carefully press against her stomach. "I can't stay away now; this changes everything."

Erza placed a hand on top of his. "It does; and I'm scared. I can't do this without you." He swallowed hard, looking more conflicted than she'd ever seen.

"Being with you only serves to remind me of all the reasons why I can't. But I also can't leave you or our child. I don't know what to do, Erza!" She brought her other hand to softly graze his cheek.

"You said before that I was your reason to keep going. Well, you're mine." The confession surprised him, but also brought warmth to his heart. "So stay. Allow yourself to find love and forgiveness; maybe you'll find a way to forgive yourself too."

"I'm so lost and confused." Jellal admitted, sighing yet again. "But one thing remains clear: I love you. So I'll stay by your side for as long as you'll have me."

Erza could feel tears threatening to fall as relief flooded her. That was all she had needed to know.

"I love you too." They leaned in for a passionate kiss, still keeping their joined hands on her stomach. Unnoticed by either parent, an enormous wave of power spread across the gardens, shocking every wizard in sight.

* * *

"After the amount of times we've met so unexpectedly, it just feels too coincidental." Meredy didn't have an answer to that, so she stayed silent.

"Meredy?" Her eyes widened at the familiar voice.

"Oh, no." Lyon frowned, also recognizing it.

"Ultear?" He knew about the connection between the two women, but failed to understand why the latter was there.

"You have to go." The pinkette quickly told him, pushing him a bit.

"Why?" He was genuinely confused.

"She can't see us together." Meredy replied, beginning to panic. "She'll completely freak out. Oh, god, I can't even imagine it."

"I think you're the one freaking out." Lyon told her, amused.

"Seriously, you need to go." He shook his head.

"No. I wanted to talk to you." There was another loud call of her name and titled her head in that direction.

"We can talk another day." Lyon sighed.

"Why do you keep doing this, Meredy?" She stared at him in confusion. "Doing what?"

"Avoiding me and running away. Do you really think that's the best option?" She protested.

"I'm not avoiding you." He scoffed.

"Even I'm a better liar than that." Still in a panic, her eyes found the shoe still resting on the stair.

"You came to give it back, didn't you?" He turned around, also facing the object.

"Well…" It wasn't the sole reason for his presence, but he did intend to give it back to her.

"Then do it. Now." His confused eyes glanced at her.

"What?" She rolled her eyes before walking away and picking up the shoe.

"Here." Meredy pretty much shoved the shoe into his arms before using magic to make the other pair appear in the place of her brown boots. "But please be quick, she's almost here."

"Okay." Finally recovered from the shock and confusion, Lyon played with the shoe for a few moments. "You know, this is supposed to be romantic."

"It's just a shoe." Meredy replied, raising a brow.

"It's more than that." Lyon said before kneeling down, catching her by surprise.

"What are you doing?" He chuckled at the priceless look on her face.

"I'm giving it back." Winking, Lyon delicately lifted her foot and began putting on the crystal heel.

"You're so cheesy." Meredy rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Having finished the job, he stepped away. "A perfect fit. I guess I should keep calling you Cinderella."

"Sure, and you're a real prince Charming." She decided to play along, bringing a smile to his face.

"Meredy, talk to me!" Ultear's loud scream ruined the moment, so Lyon quickly stood up.

"I suppose I should leave now." Meredy nodded and he once again took her by surprise when he brought her hand to his lips. "I'll see you soon, milady."

"See you soon." She couldn't keep the smile off her face; he just had that effect on her.

Ultear arrived in the clearance not much later, but he was already gone. There was no need for her to explain why they had been together before; but in truth, Meredy herself wasn't sure about that.

Something just kept pushing them towards each other and sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if, like Lyon believed, it might be fate.

* * *

Lucy sighed while leaning against a tree. She was finally alone.

It had been too hard, pretending that everything was the same and she was still the same.

"But I'm not." She whispered, once again taking the small piece of paper that had been hidden inside her dress. "This could change everything."

It was strange to think that a simple note could affect her so much, but she couldn't deny it. The words contained in that small piece of paper could lead to unexpected secrets from her past and future.

She was scared of finding the truths contained in that letter and worried they might be true. After all, everything could change if it was so.

"Luce? Is everything okay?" The familiar call of Natsu Dragneel made her sigh.

"I thought you understood that I didn't want to be followed, Natsu." He frowned while continuing to approach her.

"I knew something was bothering you, so I had to come. Please don't be mad." She couldn't help but to smile.

"I'm not mad at you." Relief crossed his face.

"Then will you tell me what's wrong?" Lucy bit her lip. Sharing the note meant acknowledging the importance of it and she still refused to do so.

"It's nothing." As always, Natsu saw right through her.

"Come on, Luce. You can trust me." He was close now, too close.

"You're too close." She tried pushing him away, but this time he didn't move.

"Is it about this note?" Her eyes widened when she saw that it was holding it.

"How did you…It doesn't matter. Give it to me." He shook his head, stubbornly.

"Sorry, Luce. But if you won't tell me what's wrong, I'll just have to find out for myself." Natsu knew it was wrong and that she would be mad. However, he was truly worried about her since she had been acting weird for a few days now. He needed to know, so that he could make it okay.

"Natsu, please." Lucy pleaded, but it was too late. He had already brought the note close to his face and began reading it.

 _I wrote this in a note because I didn't want anyone else to see it. After all, I'm not even sure what the truth is, but I do know one thing: You're not who you think you are. They lied to you, about pretty much everything._

 _When I met Zeref, he talked about the Eclipse Gate and even mentioned something about an Alison; don't know who she is. I think the answer is in mom's grave, you should check it out._

With each word, Natsu's face paled more and his frown deepened once he realized who had probably given it to her.

* * *

 **Jerza fans, did you enjoy their moments? Do you think they were in character here?**

 **As for Gruvia fans, do you understand Gray's reaction? Don't worry, he won't be gone for long.**

 **Lastly, the final scene. What are your thoughts about Lucy's note? Can anyone guess who gave it to her?**

 **Next chapter will be called** **The Savior. ****You can count on more Jerza, NaLu, the introduction of AlBis and Juvia babysitting Asuka.** **The prophecy will also be fully explained as Zeref makes his first appearance.**

 **SNEAK PEEK:**

"Where's Juvia?" Gray asked as soon as he reached their table.

"She should've been back by now." Bisca was the one who replied while closing the zipper of her coat.

"Asuka! I forgot." Alzack quickly stood up and picked his coat as well.

"What about Asuka?" Gray asked, confused.

"Juvia was babysitting her." Erza replied, now frowning.

"She would never return so late; something must be wrong." Bisca said, clearly worried and anxious.

"Hey, she'll be okay. You need to calm down. Remember, stress isn't good for you." Alzack reminded his wife.

"I won't calm down until we make sure they're safe." She stubbornly replied, before suddenly the tears came. "My baby..She has to be okay." While everyone was confused about the sudden tear works, Alzack merely sighed before taking her in his arms.

"Shhh, don't worry. We'll find Asuka." He tried to comfort her, although it was clear he was also concerned about the safety of their daughter.

 **Can we try 5 reviews by July 25th?**


	9. The Savior

**Hey, dearest readers!**

 **Get ready cause this is long! I mean, the length is the same as the other chapters, but since I included smaller scenes with all the characters, it might feel longer when you read.**

 **Zerza: Thank you for bringing up some great points! First I'll remind you that the part with Milliana and Kagura happened before the flashback from chapter 8. You know, there's that Ultear scene where she tells Millia about the Tower of Heaven, then everyone slips up and starts fighting against the dragons. So, no, neither Milliana nor Kagura knew about Erza's pregnancy until now.**

 **It will take a few chapters for them to return and for you to know their reactions, but I can tell you that they won't spread the word. It doesn't strike me as something Kagura would do and Millia would never allow it. They might take some harsh measures to get back at Jellal for killing Simon, though.**

 **Guest: So glad you're enjoying the Jerza moments. I find it really easy to write them, somehow.**

 **Mikasa-Chan: Glad to know it. I hope you'll keep enjoying this story.  
**

 **erikam1015: I'm glad you enjoyed the Jerza moments. There's a lot more to come!**

 **Now here we go with chapter 9. I decided to add some AlBis and Erza x Bisca here, hope you'll enjoy!**

* * *

 _"Feelings are connection. They surpass time, and find their way back to the people you love."_

 ** _-Lucy Heartfilia_**

* * *

 _July 7th, X791_

 _"As long as they're alive, it's bound to happen again." Future Rogue said as Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Wendy, Carla and Loke were trapped in the Mercurious Palace._

 _"I don't have a clue what you're talking about, so just spill it. Who's this person you're after anyways?" Natsu told him, arms crossed over his chest while he stared suspiciously at the older man. Something wasn't right._

 _"It's you, Lucy Heartfilia!" Rogue yelled with clear rage and before anyone could react, he had sent a dark shadow Lucy's way._

 _The blonde was paralyzed in place due to shock and even Natsu's scream for her to move didn't wake her. The dragon slayer tried to reach her before she was hit, but couldn't._

 _"No, Lucy!" He yelled in fear as he was about to lose her._

 _Due to a struck of luck, there were two Lucys present that night. The future version, without a second thought, jumped in front of the present one and took the shot._

 _"Oh no, are you okay?" Lucy asked her future self, as the latter lay on the floor._

 _"Goodness, no." Carla muttered while Wendy stared in shock at the scene. The poor girl was so young to be witnessing something so terrible._

 _"NO!" Happy screamed as he flew towards the two Lucys. Natsu was the one frozen in place now, shaking with anger and fear. The image of future Lucy being shot and falling to the ground was forever carved into his mind. He would never forget it._

 _He would never forgive himself for not being able to save her, for failing her. How could he call himself her best friend, her protector, when she had died because he wasn't fast enough?_

 _His brain was barely registering that his Lucy was still alive, that she had been saved. He missed the moment her future counterpart discreetly **passed a note** to her present self just before passing away._

 _All Natsu could think about was seeing the woman he loved-for he knew now exactly how he felt- lying motionless on the ground. Not moving, not breathing. Gone. Forever._

 _Sure, he and Lucy had gone through some hard times before. They had faced more danger in a few months than most people do in their lifetime. They had fought agaist dark guilds, monsters, evil people. But they had always come out unscathed, unharmed._

 _In the end, they had always rejoiced in being alive despite whatever injuries they might have._

 _This time was different. Even though Lucy was still alive, a version of her had died. Right in front of his eyes. And both knew they would have a hard time recovering from that._

 _Moving on, Natsu wasn't even sure if it was a possibility. But he had pulled himself together, even if he was broken at that moment. Because he couldn't let her sacrifice be in vain, couldn't let everyone he loved down when they needed him most. They were facing a crisis that night, so he had to pull his feelings aside and focused on defeating Rogue._

 _However, that doesn't mean losing Lucy hadn't hurt him beyond what he thought was possible. Doesn't mean his heart wasn't shattered and quite possibly, could never be pieced back together. But he had promised to try, for Lucy. He had vowed to himself to keep her safe and never let her out of his sight._

 _That's why he had been glued to her side for the past few days, much to her annoyance. He couldn't lose her again._

* * *

 _July 14th, X791..._

Gajeel arrived in the inn where Fairy Tail Team B had been staying just a few moments later; it wasn't too far from the palace. Letting out a sigh as he stood before the door of their shared room, he stared at the unconscious girl in his arms.

Juvia's face was pale, concernedly so. Her skin was much colder than usual and there was a frown on her face as she slept. He could also still feel her true powers even though the necklace was concealing them.

"I always knew there was something different about you, you know?" He told her even though she couldn't hear him; while opening the door.

Luckily, the room was empty, so he didn't need to worry about having to explain what had happened. He was still having a hard time understanding it himself.

"But I never would have guessed any of this." Thinking back to the Phantom Lord days, Gajeel realized just how good she had been at infiltrating it.

He would've never suspected that she was spying on the guild. Never.

She had done a great job at pretending to be some weak link who eventually rose due to the long and hard training sessions that Jose provided. Even when she became a part of the Element 4, he wouldn't have thought of her as threatening.

Juvia always had this air of innocence and sadness. That's what drew him to her in the first place; somehow her loneliness and unhappiness tugged at his hardened heart and that's why he had opened up to her. Why they became friends and then best friends.

She had been the first person in his life that he had ever trusted enough to share his past and Gajeel would forever be grateful. Without her, he would've never joined Fairy Tail and met the petit bluenette who never left his thoughts.

"I am so mad at you right now." He whispered while placing Juvia on her bed, as gently as he could. "But I know that I'll forgive you in the end, cause you're my best friend."

Smiling, he placed the covers on top of her and, since there was no one watching, allowed himself to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

"You'd better some rest, cause tomorrow we'll be talking about all this. And I still have lots of questions." That said, he stepped away from the bed and went towards his own before picking out a notebook and a pen.

If there was one good thing that came out of that night, it was that fact that he was really inspired to write some new songs.

* * *

 _July 20th, X791..._

"Are you sure about this, Lucy?" Natsu asked while him and the blonde stood just outside of the guild hall.

"No." She shook her head. "But I have to do it."

"You don't have to." He disagreed and she stared at him, brown eyes filled with fear.

"I need to know, Natsu. Even if everything changes, I can't just ignore it." He nodded.

"Future Lucy didn't want you to ignore it, so it must be important." Once again, Lucy took the note from her pocket and reread it for the millionth time.

"She says that I'm not who I think I am. I need to know what she means." Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, Natsu gave her a reassuring look.

"I'll stay by your side, whatever you decide." She smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Natsu. You're the best." In that moment, as she looked so beautiful with that smile that lightened his world, Natsu wanted nothing more than to confess. To tell her what he had known ever since Future Lucy had died: that he loved her.

Even if it took him a long time to realize it, now it was clear. No doubts were left in his mind that what he felt towards her was more than friendship.

However, he restrained himself. He knew this wasn't what she needed in that moment. With her life falling apart, all Lucy needed was his support and so he would give it.

He wouldn't tell her how he felt until the time was right.

"Shouldn't we get going?" He asked, shaking the thoughts away.

"Yeah." Lucy put the note back in her pocket and took a deep breath. "It's time for me to go back home."

* * *

 _Meanwhile, inside the guild hall..._

"Is everything okay, Erza?" Bisca Connell approached her longtime friend, who was sitting on a table on the corner of the guild. By her side was Jellal Fernandes, disguised as Mystogan.

About two days before, the red head had convinced Master Makarov to allow him to infiltrate the guild. While at first he had been reluctant, unwilling to get in trouble with the Council, after she explained their…situation, the older man agreed to help.

"I can't eat it." Erza said, pretty much ignoring her friend's question. In front of her was a piece of strawberry cake, her favorite dessert. However, as she stared at it, her complexion was suddenly pale and sickly.

"Why not?" Jellal wondered, confused. Bisca settled for watching them, seeing as the couple wasn't paying attention to her anyway.

"Can you get this away from me?" The red head pushed the plate in his direction and he raised a brow.

"Are you serious, Erza?" Like the rest of the world, he was well aware of how much she loved cake.

"It's making me sick." She swallowed hard, appearing ready to throw up.

"Okay, okay." Jellal quickly picked the plate and walked away, taking it back to the bar counter. Mirajane, who was behind it, stared between him and Erza with worry.

"What's wrong with Erza?" He shrugged.

"Don't know." Back on the table, the red head was taking deep breaths while attempting to look normal, but it was clear that she wasn't.

"So, is there something you want to tell me?" Bisca asked while sitting in Jellal's previous place.

"Why would you ask that?" Erza nervously wondered, relieved that the urge to throw up had passed.

"Come on, Erza. I know." Silence followed that statement as her face paled even more.

"What?" She tried appearing clueless, but Bisca only smiled.

"I've been there, so I can tell the signs." Erza's eyes widened.

"What signs?" The sharp shooter eyed her firmly, arms crossed.

"For one, the morning sickness. I noticed you haven't been eating well, but only in the mornings." The red head looked away.

"Then there's the fact that you and Jellal are being too sweet and adorable when I remember you told me he had pushed you away." Bisca looked in the direction of the mage approaching them. "There had to be a huge reason for that to change."

"I changed his mind." Erza tried, but once again her friend just laughed.

"I might not know him well, but I can tell he's not the type to be easily convinced." Then Bisca looked back at her just as Jellal reached the table.

"It's no use hiding it, you know? Soon enough you'll have to tell everyone, so you shouldn't wait too long." He looked between the two women in confusion while sitting down by Erza's side.

"Is everything okay?" The latter frowned, turning to Bisca.

"You're too smart for your own good." She shrugged.

"I'm not being smart, I just know what it's like." Then a smile came upon her face as her hands rested upon her own stomach. "If it makes you feel any better, I am too."

"Really?" Erza's eyes widened.

"Yeah. Alzack and I were going to wait until I completed 3 months to tell everyone, but I thought you should know." The red head smiled brightly.

"I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!" Bisca's own smile enlarged.

"I guess I should say the same about you two." She looked between the couple. "Right?"

Erza stared at Jellal for a moment, unsure, and he smiled before taking her hand. "Right."

Her expression relaxed at his reassurance and she removed his green mask so that they could kiss. For a moment, the couple completely forgot where they were; not that it mattered since everyone in the guild knew those two were together anyways.

Meanwhile, Bisca watched them with a smile, remembering a time when her and Alzack were in the same situation years before.

* * *

 _The year X785…_

 _"Just get this away from me!" Bisca yelled at her now husband and Alzack frowned._

 _"Sorry, Bisca." She had been trying to convince him to take the plate with eggs and sausages away for quite some time, and eventually lost her patience._

 _"I'm sorry for yelling at you." She apologized once he returned to the table after giving the plates to the waiter._

 _"It's okay." Forgiving as always, Alzack cast her a smile._

 _"I don't know what's wrong with me." Bisca shook her head, sighing._

 _For the past few weeks ever since they had arrived at the Inn where they'd spend their honeymoon, something had been off with her. She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but something had changed._

 _"Maybe you're just ill like you thought." Her husband suggested._

 _"But I've been like this for weeks. No sickness should last this long." She disagreed._

 _"Do you want to go back to Magnolia? We can get you to see Porlyusica." Alzack suggested, taking her hand._

 _"No, this is our honeymoon. We're supposed to enjoy it." Bisca sighed once again while he smirked._

 _"We are enjoying it. I remember very well how much we did last night." A small blush appeared on her face before she paled._

 _"That's it." While Alzack was confused, she almost jumped in her seat as the realization finally sinked in._

 _"What?" Ignoring him, Bisca went over all the symptoms she had experienced over the past few weeks: morning sickness, tiredness, unpredictable mood changes, increasing appetite._

 _"Of course. How didn't I notice this before?" She shook her head, feeling stupid for not noticing it sooner._

 _"Bisca, what's going in?" Meanwhile, Alzack was still staring at her in confusion and worry._

 _"I think…" She swallowed hard. "I think I'm pregnant."_

 _His eyes widened. "Wait, what?"_

 _"I'm not 100% sure, but all the signs point towards it." Looking back at her husband, Bisca frowned at his reaction. "Pregnant? Are you…what?"_

 _"I'm sorry. I know we agreed to wait until we've been married for at least a year." These words broke him out of his shock and Alzack shook his head._

 _"Don't you dare apologize for this." Once again taking her hand, he squeezed it tightly. "It's a lot to take in, but don't think for a moment that I'm mad at you."_

 _"You're allowed to be mad. This changes everything. All of our plans…" He interrupted her._

 _"Things don't always go according to plan; that's alright." Alzack smiled, causing her to relax a bit. "I know we'll get through this just fine."_

 _"Thank you." He stood up from his seat and walked over to her side before extending his hand._

 _Bisca took it and he helped her stand before wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. "I love you, Bisca. Don't expect that to ever change."_

 _She smiled against his shoulder. "I love you too."_

* * *

 _Present day, in Magnolia park..._

"Can I have ice cream? Please?" Little Asuka pleaded while fixing Juvia with her famous puppy eyes.

"Sure. I could go for ice cream." Taking the child's hand, she led them towards the ice cream place on the middle of Magnolia Park.

Once the two of them held onto their chocolate and strawberry flavored cones, they walked towards the forest, since Asuka had requested they do a trail.

Along the way, the child practiced with her toy gun with one hand and Juvia had to admit, she truly was Bisca's daughter.

"You're so much like your mom." She told the little girl, who smiled.

"Daddy always tells me that." Smiling brightly, she shot at another target that the water mage had created, hitting it perfectly.

"Well done." Juvia praised once again.

"This is fun! Thanks for training with me, aunt Juvia." Asuka turned to her with those big purple eyes shining excitedly.

"Of course. I'm having fun too." It was true. Taking care of the little girl and training with her allowed the bluenette to take her mind off what had happened a few days ago and the difficult conversations that followed.

It was good not to be wondering whether Gajeel would ever not be mad at her, if Gray would ever come back to the guild or if she would ever forgive herself for almost killing Erza.

The news of the latter's pregnancy still left her with mixed feelings. Shock, surprise, anxiety, regret, guilt. Happiness.

She couldn't deny that the prospect of becoming an aunt had her excited, even if she felt like she didn't deserve to be a part of the child's life. Of course, Jellal had made it clear that she shouldn't feel that way; he had forgiven and supported her like the wonderful brother he was.

However, it wasn't enough to erase all of the negative feelings and Juvia worried they might never go away.

"Why did you stop, auntie?" Asuka's soft voice brought her back to reality and she realized that she had suddenly stopped in the middle of the forest.

"Sorry, I was distracted." The little girl frowned.

"What's wrong?" Even though she was only 5, she could pick up on the adult's sadness.

Juvia knelt down in front of her before placing both hands on her shoulders. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, okay? Just focus on having fun."

Asuka seemed unsure. "Really? Cause mamma always told me when I'm sad I should talk to someone about it."

"She's not wrong, but I just…" Juvia stopped talking the moment she felt it. A familiar energy; dark and powerful.

"No. Impossible." Her face lost all color and the ice cream cone dropped to the ground. In one swift movement, she had stood up and got into a defensive position.

Sensing danger, Asuka also got defensive and pointed her toy gun towards the empty forest. "Asuka, you need to get out here, okay?" The little girl shook her head.

"No! I can't leave you, auntie." So young, yet so brave. She truly was a Fairy Tail member.

"I'm serious. Your parents would never forgive me if I let something happen to you." Looking back at the child behind her, the water mage pleaded.

"Please, go back to the guild. Warn them that…" Before she could say the enemy's name, a dark blast came from no where and hit her right on the head.

The last thing Juvia heard was Asuka's worried yell before everything faded away.

* * *

 _In Tartarus' base..._

"Welcome back, lord Zeref." Alison told the dark mage while curtsying as she always did in his presence.

"It's good to see you again, my friend." Zeref smiled at her. "Have you been well?"

"Yes, milord." The bluenette nodded eagerly.

"Where is your daughter? I assumed she would be back after completing her mission." He questioned, looking around the empty room in confusion.

"About that…I'm afraid the mission didn't go as expected." His eyes flashed red for a moment and she gulped.

"What do you mean?" Zeref asked, calming down.

"Juliet was tricked; they made her believe that she had just killed Erza Scarlet while it was, in fact, an illusion." Alison explained, making sure to emphasize how her daughter had indeed followed his orders.

"An illusion?" The dark mage wondered, pensive. "It takes a lot of magic power to create one. Who did you say tricked her?"

She looked away, ashamed. "I don't know." He knew she was lying, he always did.

"You're lying. It was your son, wasn't it?" Her eyes widened.

"How did you know?" Zeref chuckled.

"I am well aware of just how powerful Jellal Fernandes is." Then his eyes narrowed. "But I suppose you didn't come back here just to tell me that the mission failed."

"No, milord." Alison sighed. "After I realized that Erza was still alive, I went after her. I was ready to kill her myself, when I felt it."

"What did you feel?" Zeref asked, curious.

"A magic stronger than anything I've felt before. It was hard for me to actually realize it since Erza herself is incredibly powerful." He raised a brow.

"Why did that stop you from killing her?" Her answer couldn't have been more unexpected.

"Because the magic **_was_** coming from her, lord Zeref. She is pregnant." Silence. Moments passed as Zeref took it in.

"Are you certain?" Alison nodded. "If what you're saying is true, then this changes things."

"What do you want me to do?" Zeref stared at her, determined and firm.

"Bring me Erza Scarlet. Until I've made sure whether her child is the Savior, no harm must come to her. Do you understand?" Once again, she just nodded.

"I'll be on my way." After giving another curtsy, Alison disappeared, leaving behind a silent mage.

Zeref didn't move from his spot by the window surveying Tartarus' Hell Core, mind overtaken by thoughts of the prophecy that was his whole motivation.

The words spoken by an _ **unexpected ally** _almost a century before returned to him as they usually did: **_"A child, a girl, born from light and darkness shall become the strongest mage to have ever lived; or the Savior. Enhanced by true love's kiss, her magic will be able to reverse any curse or spell and only she shall manage to defeat the ultimate wizard of darkness."_**

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **What did you think of my portrayal of AlBis? I don't think I've ever actually written this couple before.**

 **What about Jerza? Did anyone expect the twist with Jellal pretending to be Mystogan in order to be close to Erza? That will have some repercussions later in** **the story.**

 **As for NaLu fans, am I doing okay with these two? This is my second time writing them, but I'm still no expert.**

 **On another note, did you** **enjoy reading Juvia babysitting Asuka? I actually had her and Gray doing this in another story, Connections. If anyone's interested, I think it's in chapter 17.**

 **Lastly, what did you think of the prophecy? I know it's totally different than what happens in the anime/manga, but that's what fanfics are for. If anyone's wondering, I took the idea of the Savior from the Tv Show Once Upon A Time-one of my favorites. **

**The BIG question now should be: who made the prophecy? The answer might surprise you.**

 **Next chapter will be called Taken. It will focus on the aftermath of Juvia's disappearance, with plenty of AlBis and Jerza thrown in it. Gray will also return and, in typical Gray fashion, keep beating himself for not being there. There might also be some GaLe and Lyredy scenes. **

**Can we try 5 reviews by August 1st?**


	10. Taken

**Good evening, dearest readers!**

 **Ah, I just love writing this story since it's a lot of fun. However, now that I'm (finally) finishing the manga it's really hard to keep focus. I so want to write about the last few chapters, specially the Gruvia parts (the Alvarez Arc is just everything for Gruvia shippers like myself).**

 **Adding that to the fact that I've decided (all of sudden) to join NaLu Angst Week and have been working on the prompts all weekend; I think you'll understand that I haven't been doing much writing.**

 **Luckily, this chapter was almost finished when I posted the previous one, so all I had to do was add one scene, review it and reply to your comments.**

 **Speaking of which, here are your answers:**

 **MasterGildarts:** **I loved adding Bisca there, she's such an awesome yet sadly underrated character. And of course she'd know, she's been there before.**

 **I'm glad someone is a NaLu shipper. I've got some big plans for those two; mostly Lucy. You'll definitely get to see her side, but it will take a while to get there. And yes, I plan on having all of the couples in the summary getting together at some point (although technically Gruvia and Jerza already are).**

 **Guest: Glad you do. I just love writing this couple; it's so easy!**

 **Guest 2: Thanks a lot!**

 **Zerza: What you said is true, but it's even simpler than that. Jellal is the darkness because he inherited it from his mother, who was one of the strongest dark mages to ever exist; while Erza is one of the strongest mages of light. However, I'll give you a little SPOILER: The prophecy originally spoke of Juvia/Juliet Fernandes, daughter of two extremely powerful people from light and darkness. However, at some point, the future changed and Jerza's child was chosen as the Savior. You'll get to know the details soon enough.**

 **Mikasa-Chan: I couldn't not add Zeref in this story. Don't know why he took so long to make an appearance, truly. But from now on he'll be on almost every chapter and he's got a big plan.**

 **Next chapter will include THE family reunion and it's turning out even better than I'd expected.**

 **Happy reading, everyone! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.**

* * *

 _"Forget what hurt you in the past, but never forget what it taught you."_

 ** _-Gray Fullbuster_**

* * *

"I'm serious. Your parents would never forgive me if I let something happen to you." Looking back at the child behind her, Juvia pleaded.

"Please, go back to the guild. Warn them that…" Before she could say the enemy's name, a dark blast came from no where and hit her right on the head.

The last thing she heard was Asuka's worried yell before everything faded away.

* * *

 _A few hours later, in Fairy Tail's guild hall..._

"Hey, shrimp. What're you reading?" Gajeel Redfox called while approaching the petit bluenette who was sitting on the usual table, reading a book.

Much to his surprise, there was no answer as she merely turned over to the next page; completely ignoring him. "The hell?" He muttered, confused, before crossing his arms. Just as he was about to make a remark, Levy finally spoke.

"Can't you see I'm ignoring you?" Closing her boo, she turned around to face him.

"Why? What did I do?" He was genuinely confused.

"Do you really need to ask?" She raised a brow.

"If you won't tell me, how can I know?" Sighing once again, she opened the book again.

"Just leave me alone, will you?" Gajeel couldn't believe her reaction; it just didn't make sense.

After scanning his mind for anything he might've done to upset her over the past few days, he realized that she'd been avoiding him ever since the night of the Grand Ball.

"Of course it had to be that." Shaking his head, the dragon slayer sat in front of her before pushing the book down onto the table.

"Hey!" Levy protested, glaring at him.

"I think we need to talk." She disagreed, shaking her head.

"There's nothing to talk about." This caused him to raise a brow.

"Are you serious?" Levy shrugged.

"Nothing happened." Gajeel was definitely surprised. He'd have never expected her to deny it; if anything he assumed she would force him to talk about it.

"So you're not mad at me about what happened that night?" He asked, wanting to make sure.

"Nope. Because, nothing happened." She repeated and he frowned.

"Are you sure about that?" He didn't know why he was insisting when the last thing he wanted was to discuss it. However, the idea that Levy was so keen on shrugging it off and pretending like it never happened didn't sit well with him.

"I am. Is there something _you_ want to talk about?" She was the one raising a brow now and he gulped.

"No." An awkward silence fell upon them as she went back to her book and he watched her; still confused.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, on another table…_

Erza and Jellal still sat with Bisca, although Alzack had joined them about an hour before. The two couples conversed quietly; mostly about the Grand Magic Games. Everyone was still baffled about what had happened on the last day and the fact that time traveling was actually possible.

Now that it was getting late, though, a tired Erza leaned against Jellal's shoulder while he kept an arm around her and the other couple was snuggled together against the bench.

"What time is it?" The red head asked, yawning.

"It's around 10." Mirajane answered while walking their way. Her shift at the bar was over and Kinana had taken over.

"10?" Bisca asked, eyes suddenly wide and face paling.

"What's wrong, Bisca?" Alzack worriedly asked when she jumped from her seat and began putting on her coat.

"She was supposed to be back almost 2 hours ago." The latter muttered, barely paying attention.

"Who?" Erza asked just as they spotted a familiar face entering the guild.

"Gray's finally back." Alzack noted as the ice mage began to approach them.

"It was about time." Mirajane said, raising a brow in his direction.

She didn't like the fact that he had suddenly left Juvia behind, but she also didn't know the whole story of what happened between them on the night of the Grand Ball.

"Where's Juvia?" Gray asked as soon as he reached their table.

"She should've been back by now." Bisca was the one who replied while closing the zipper of her coat.

"Asuka! I forgot." Alzack quickly stood up and picked his coat as well.

"What about Asuka?" Gray asked, confused.

"Juvia was babysitting her." Erza replied, now frowning.

"She would never return so late; something must be wrong." Bisca said, clearly worried and anxious.

"Hey, she'll be okay. You need to calm down. Remember, stress isn't good for you." Alzack reminded his wife.

"I won't calm down until we make sure they're safe." She stubbornly replied, before suddenly the tears came. "My baby..She has to be okay." While everyone was confused about the sudden tear works, Alzack merely sighed before taking her in his arms.

"Shhh, don't worry. We'll find Asuka." He tried to comfort her, although it was clear he was also concerned about the safety of their daughter.

"We need to go after Juvia." Jellal stood up, looking serious and worried.

"She could be in danger." Erza agreed and Gray scanned the room before spotting Gajeel and Levy.

"Hey, Gajeel." The dragon slayer glared at him.

"What do you want, stripper?" The ice mage crossed his arms.

"Juvia's in trouble." The words were enough to turn the glare into a worried look and Gajeel quickly approached them, Levy following him.

"What happened?" The petit woman asked.

"We don't know." Jellal replied, sighing in frustration, and Erza placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find her." She reassured him, knowing he was worried about his sister.

"Let's go." Alzack said, breaking apart from the hug while Bisca dried her tears.

"But where?" Gray brought up a good point.

"Leave that to me." Gajeel replied, smirking, before beginning to walk away.

Everyone followed him as his dragon slayer nose led them to Juvia and Asuka's last location: Magnolia Park.

* * *

It didn't take them long to arrive in the park and the group easily found the trail that Juvia and Asuka had followed, thanks to Gajeel. Within a few minutes into the forest, they spotted the little girl lying on the ground, face down.

"Asuka!" Alzack and Bisca let out equal shouts of her name before rushing towards her.

"Baby girl, are you okay?" Alzack asked while Bisca knelt down and took the child in her arms.

"She's unconscious." She realized with worry.

"She's cold too." He told her while pressing a hand to Asuka's forehead.

"She needs help. We should take her to the guild right now." Bisca said and Alzack nodded.

"You're right." He extended his arms and Bisca passed him the unconscious child before both parents stood up.

Meanwhile, their friends spread across the trail, searching for any signs of Juvia.

"Strange." Gajeel whispered.

"What is it?" Levy wondered.

"Her trail ends here." At this, Gray grew desperate.

"That can't be. She's not here!" He yelled, starting to lose it.

"She didn't leave on her own accord." Erza quickly realized.

"Someone took her and they used magic to erase her trail so we couldn't go after her." Jellal added, face suddenly pale.

"This is my fault!" The ice mage let out and all stared at him in confusion.

"How so? You weren't even here." Levy pointed out.

"Exactly! I should've been here!" Gray shook his head. "I should be protecting her. Damn it! I never should have left."

"Don't beat yourself for it, Gray." Erza tried to comfort him.

"I warned you not to leave." Gajeel, on the other hand, wasn't so understanding.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Gray unknowingly started to remove his clothes.

"Stop taking off your clothes!" The dragon slayer scolded and his eyes widened.

"Damn it!" Meanwhile, Erza looked around the forest. "If magic was used to cover her trail, our chances of actually locating her are slim."

"I know, but we have to try." Jellal was firm with his answer.

"Can't you try, Gajeel?" Levy turned to the dragon slayer, who stopped bickering with Gray.

"I don't think that'll work." He let out a defeated sigh. "Whoever took her sure has powerful magic, because I can't smell anything past this point."

"So what do we do?" Gray wondered, hopeless.

"I'm sure Asuka can help." Everyone turned to Bisca and Alzack, who approached them with the little girl in her father's arms.

"How is she?" Erza asked, worried.

"She was knocked out, but we think she'll be fine." Bisca replied, although unsurely.

"She needs help now, but once she's awake you can ask her about Juvia." That was enough to reassure them for the time being.

"Okay. Let's go back to the guild, then." Erza said and, with nothing else to do there, the others followed.

Gray stayed a bit behind as his mind was overcome by dark thoughts once again. The memory of July 7th and the moment Juvia almost died if it wasn't for his sacrifice stung at his heart once he remembered the promise he had made to himself that night. _I will never let anyone hurt her again, even if means I have to be by her side 24/7. I can't lose her._

* * *

 _The next morning..._

Natsu and Lucy stood in front of the huge mansion that used to be the home of the Heartfilia family.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, noticing her tense posture.

"I'm fine. It's just…being back here…" She sighed. "It brings back too many memories."

"We can go back if you want, Luce." Natsu suggested, but she shook her head.

"No. I need to do this." Taking a step forward, she began guiding them towards the Mansion.

Everything was just as he remembered from a few months before, nothing had been changed despite the fact that a new family now occupied the mansion.

They quickly arrived in front of Layla Heartfilia's grave and he frowned. "So, what are we looking for?"

"I don't know." Lucy sighed yet again. This would take a while.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in an unknown location…_

Juvia Lockser woke up with a groan as she felt her head protest with the slightest movement. In truth, all of her body hurt like she'd been through a battle.

However, upon scanning her memories of the night before, the water mage realized that no battle had occurred.

"Asuka." The reminder of the little girl she had been watching before brought anxiousness and worry.

"Asuka?" She called, a little louder, while attempting to sit up. Her body protested against the movement and it wasn't long before she lay back down with a defeated sigh.

"Damn." There were restrains around her wrists and ankles, so she couldn't sit anyways. As it seemed, besides immobilizing her, the cuffs were stealing magic power as well. She could feel it being drained with each attempt to move, so settled for lying still.

"What do I do now?" This wasn't good. If she couldn't use magic, couldn't even move, how was she supposed to escape?

"You're awake. I thought you'd be asleep for a few more hours, but it's no matter." The voice was deep, familiar and it chilled her to the bone.

"Who's there?" Juvia called, moving her head to the side and letting out a pained groan.

"Have you forgotten about me already, **Juliet**?" The figure stood in front of her now; tall and threatening.

"I haven't." She muttered, feeling her body recoiling in fear. Only few people had this effect on her and that was one of them.

"Good." They pulled on the chains around her wrists, making it even tighter and eliciting a scream from her.

"I had forgotten the sound of your screams." They smirked. " But I suppose it won't be long before they're all I can hear."

"What do you want?" Juvia asked, continuing to struggle despite the pain.

Still smirking, they lowered themselves until their face was inches away from hers. "It is time for you to be punished for your betrayal." Her face paled at the words and she stilled; heart beating faster due to all familiar terror.

* * *

 _Back at Fairy Tail's guild hall…_

"How's she doing?" Levy asked upon entering the infirmary; Gray and Gajeel following closely.

"Porlyusica said she'll be okay." Alzack answered without looking at them.

His attention was focused on the two figures lying on the only occupied bed. Asuka was snuggled against Bisca, who had her arms tightly wrapped around the child; both were asleep.

"Did she wake up before?" Gajeel wondered.

"She did; for a few minutes. But we didn't get to ask anything about Juvia." Alzack replied.

"That's okay." Gray told him, sighing.

"I'm sorry she got caught up in this." Levy apologized, to which the former shrugged.

"It's not anyone's fault. Asuka's a part of Fairy Tail, after all. We couldn't protect her from the world forever." Letting out a sigh, the sharp shooter looked back at his family. "I still wish we could, though."

"Daddy?" A soft voice called and everyone silenced while staring at the sleepy child.

"Hey, baby girl." Alzack quickly rushed to the bed, sitting down on the chair near it. "How are you feeling?"

Asuka disentangled herself from Bisca, who continued to sleep. "I'm okay, daddy. But auntie Juvia…" This picked the others' interest, so they also approached the bed.

"What happened to her?" Gray asked and the child frowned.

"There was a bad person. I don't know who because they were hidden." Asuka explained. "Auntie told me to run away, but I couldn't leave her behind. So I tried to help her…"

Alzack interrupted, eyes wide. "You tried what?"

"I tried to help auntie. Like you and mommy always say to help our friends, right?" He was baffled by her words, but soon enough a proud smile took over his face.

"That's right." Asuka nodded before continuing.

"So I tried to shoot at the bad person, but then auntie told me to run again and then she was on the ground." The little girl frowned. "I don't know what happened next because I fell asleep." They knew well she hadn't actually fallen asleep, but decided not to contradict it.

"You were so brave." Alzack told her, smiling and opening his arms. Once she had her small ones wrapped around his neck, he hugged her tightly. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart."

"You should be. She's a true Fairy Tail member." Levy told him, smiling.

"Yes, but that doesn't give us any clues on where Juvia is." Gray said, frustrated.

"We'll just have to figure it out ourselves." Gajeel spoke.

"Thanks for your help." The ice mage told Alzack, who nodded while continuing to hold onto his daughter.

The trio soon left the room, deciding to give the family some space, and went towards the guild hall.

* * *

Upon arriving there, they were baffled to find Ultear and Meredy talking to Mirajane by the counter.

"Ultear?" Gray called, confused.

"Hello, Gray." The time mage gave a small smile. She looked pale and tired; which she probably was.

"What are you guys doing here?" Gajeel wondered.

"We came to help you find Juvia." Meredy answered, determined.

"How did you even…" The ice mage began asking, but Ultear interrupted.

"Jellal contacted us." She replied shortly.

"Where is he anyways?" Gajeel asked, looking around the room.

"I figured he'd be the most anxious to find her." Gray commented.

"He's with Erza. They're staying out of this one because stress isn't good for her." Meredy explained and understanding looks crossed their faces once they remembered Erza's condition.

"What do you mean?" Mirajane, who remained unaware, wondered.

"It's nothing." Gray answered much too quickly, prompting her to raise a brow.

"It's not our place to tell." Levy told the she-devil.

"Okay." The latter nodded, understanding.

"So, how should we begin searching for Juvia?" Gajeel turned to the time mage.

"Well, I believe…" Ultear stopped talking upon noticing Meredy's frown.

"Meredy? What's wrong?" The older woman wondered before following her line of vision.

"Lyon?" She muttered at the same time as Gray muttered: "What is he doing here?"

The older ice mage was walking in their direction, having already entered the guild hall.

"Why are you here?" Gray repeated once he stood in front of the group.

"Hello, Gray. It's nice to see you too." Lyon replied, smiling forcefully.

"You couldn't have chosen a worse time." Ultear told him.

"Why? What's going on?" Dark green eyes curiously scanned everyone's faces.

"It's none of your business." Gray replied dryly, to which he shook his head.

"Your never ending immatureness impresses me." Levy decided to intervene before a fight could erupt. "Okay, focus. We need to find Juvia."

"Why? What's happened to Juvia?" Lyon asked and, upon receiving no response, sighed. "I guess coming here was a waste of time."

"Couldn't agree more." Gray replied, crossing his arms.

"At least I got to see you again." Everyone was confused when he turned to Meredy, whose face paled.

"Again?" Ultear asked, raising a brow.

"We met during the Games, on the last day." The pinkette nervously replied.

"Oh, yeah. I had forgotten that you were there too." Gray told her.

"Well, it is lovely to see you again, Meredy." Lyon respectfully bowed his head.

"You too." A blush colored her cheeks and she avoided Ultear's scrutinizing eyes.

"Might I have a word with you?" The ice mage finally asked and Meredy nodded. Soon enough the two of them disappeared outside, leaving behind the confused group.

"What was that about?" Gray wondered, suspicious, once they were at the guild's door.

"No time to wonder." Ultear replied. "Let's begin tracking Juvia down."

Soon they enlisted Wendy and Warren to help out with finding the water mage, but unfortunately, all of their efforts were in vain. None could find her and, while they were searching, yet another mage was taken away.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Jellal worriedly asked for the millionth time while they walked along Magnolia Park..

"I'm fine." Erza answered rather harshly.

"I'm sorry. With everything that's going on I just…" She sighed.

"I know. But I mean it; you don't have to worry about me." She stopped walking and turned to him, firmly.

"I'm afraid that's no longer an option." Bringing a hand to rest upon her stomach, Jellal caressed it slowly. "I won't be able to stop worrying now."

She smiled. "Bisca told me that's what it means to become a parent."

"It's still hard to believe." He admitted, to which she nodded.

"I never really thought of myself as a mother." Frowning, Erza bit her lip. "I don't think I'll be good at it." Thinking back to all the times she had to 'mother' her friends, she realized it hadn't worked out so well.

"I disagree." Jellal said, shaking his head. "There's no doubt in my mind that you'll make a wonderful mother."

This brought a smile to her face and, after taking a quick look around the park to ensure no one was watching them, Erza carefully removed the green mask concealing his face.

"You always know what to say, don't you?" She told him while lifting a hand to trace his tattoo.

"I only speak the truth." He replied, wrapping his free arm around her waist and bringing her closer. "I can only hope that I'll be half as good as you."

"Please. You're much better with children than I am." Remembering stories Jellal told her about Meredy, her smile enlarged. "This child is so lucky to have you as their father."

"I'm the lucky one." Jellal sincerely replied before frowning. "I don't deserve any of this." Tired of having the same discussion over and over again, Erza decided to try a different approach. Bringing both hands to hold his face, she leaned in for a passionate kiss to which he eagerly replied.

Once again, they didn't notice the enormous wave of power that went through Magnolia, confusing every wizard in sight. They also failed to realize that someone was watching them, someone whom Jellal had hoped never to see again.

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **GaLe fans, did you enjoy their introduction? There will be more scenes as the story goes on, but I can't promise they'll be happy.**

 **As for Gruvia fans, what did you think of Gray's return and his reactions?**

 **About the scene with Juvia, do you have any thoughts on who's her captor? Keep in mind that she tried to tell Asuka the enemy's name, so she knows exactly who it is.**

 **Lastly, how do you think everyone will locate her?**

 **Ps: Like I said before, I decided to join NaLu Angst Week. Since I don't have the time to write all the prompts, I've been making artwork, more specifically GIF's, about them. If you want to check those out, just search for my tumblr page: sweetmemories1998.**

 **In any case, next chapter will be called Her Fate. You'll get the Jellal x Alison reunion I'm sure you've been waiting for and Kagura and Milliana will return with a plan. There'll also be more NaLu scenes and I should warn you beforehand that the scenes with Juvia's punishment are getting kinda dark and graphic.**

 **Can we try 6 reviews by August 8th?**


	11. Her Fate

**Good afternoon, everyone.**

 **First thing, VERY IMPORTANT: There is a QUESTION at the END OF THE CHAPTER that I REALLY NEED YOU TO ANSWER cause it will define many things about this story. **

**Now to the** **shoutouts:**

 **Resha Tsubaki: I can understand how it can be boring and repetitive when all the fics are romance-only or cheesy. Even if I do love romance, I always try to make my stories about more than that; hence all the plot twists.**

 **If you want different, then you're reading the right story. I've read plenty of** **fanfics and none of them are as crazy as mine. I think of connections no one else has before and I love it!**

 **Also, I am, as my friend says, the Queen of Angst; so most of my stories are** **dark/mysterious.**

 **Good thing you brought up Alison and her development. Just check out the question at the end of the chapter.**

 **MasterGildarts: Good thing you're willing to wait, cause this will take a LONG while. I think this story might even have more than 20 chapters, which is SOO much more than I'd originally planned. Oh, well, that's what happens when I decide to include all the characters. **

**Don't worry, there'll be plenty of NaLu scenes before the moment they get together. And more Gruvia soon. I just love writing them being together and Gray blaming himself for not being there cause it's so him.**

 **Also, their way of locating Juvia will be so obvious I'm surprised no one seems to have thought about it.**

 **Zerza: Lol I have no idea. The whole point of that "wave of magic power" thing was meant to reinforce just how powerful this child is, but it's weird that Jellal and Erza didn't sense it. Just assume they were lost in the moment, ok? **

**Also, let me clarify that it's not just anytime they kiss that this happens. Going with the cliche I borrowed from Once Upon A Time, the magic is only released when they share a "true love's kiss", which is different from just any kiss.**

 **Guest: This chapter is my ****favorite Jerza so far cause it's really angsty. Thanks a lot; I will keep them coming!**

 **Mikasa-Chan: There you have it; THE reunion. It was so ****much fun to write that part.**

 **Happy reading, everyone! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite. (and answer THE QUESTION, please!)**

* * *

 _"There's nothing happy about having your fate decided for you! You have to grab your own happiness!"_

 _ **-Lucy Heartfilia**_

* * *

"Well aren't you two just so adorable? " The couple pulled apart immediately upon hearing the voice.

"Who are you?" Jellal asked, getting into a defensive position while stepping in front of Erza.

"Do you really not recognize me?" The woman raised a brow and his eyes widened.

"The resemblance is uncanny." The red head muttered, looking between him and the bluenette.

"I should've known that you'd come back." Without a second thought, Jellal activated his full power before sending a blast of golden fire towards the woman.

"Don't be stupid, son." Alison rolled her eyes, easily dodging the attack.

"I won't let you harm her!" He yelled, determined.

"You're no match for me." Another attack. Easily avoided. Then a dark, circular object crashed into him and he was thrown back.

"How could you do this to your own son?" Erza wondered incredulously.

"To be honest, I never cared much about him." Alison replied, eyeing Jellal with anything but love or compassion. "You were always a disappointment, unlike your sister. She was the one I had high hopes for."

"Then why did you leave her too?" He asked, attempting to ignore the hurt her words caused.

"It was necessary." The older woman replied, shrugging. "Now, I am really not in the mood to fight you, so I'll end this quickly."

Thinking she would attack again, he got to his feet and ran to Erza's side. "I already said that I won't…" The words died on his lips as a wave of power spread across the park.

"What is this magic?" Erza's eyes widened.

"It can't be." Jellal recognized it. The type of magic was the same as someone he knew well, but so much stronger.

"I fail to understand why you seem so surprised." Alison told him, raising a brow. "I'm your mother. The only reason you're so powerful is because my blood runs through your veins."

"You were never a mother to me." He shook his head before attempting to move. Only he couldn't. He was….frozen?

"I can't move." Erza noted at the same time.

"You can stop time." Jellal realized, looking around the park and noticing that the few people in the distance weren't moving.

"Well observed." Alison replied, smirking. "I've decided to learn Arc of Time just like your friend, Ultear. However, unlike her, I managed to perfect it."

"If she can stop time, then how come we're not completely frozen?" Erza wondered, confused.

"It appears as if you're not completely affected by my magic." The older woman replied, pensive. "But it's no matter as long as you can't move."

"Why are you doing this? What are you hoping to achieve?" Jellal asked, struggling to move once she began to approach them.

"You know I won't tell you. Now just be a dear and stay still, will you?" She was getting closer and as much as he tried, he couldn't move. Couldn't stop her. Couldn't protect Erza.

Once she stood in front of the latter, Alison lifted a hand to her forehead.

"No, please!" Jellal pleaded, but it was no use. Within seconds, Erza fell forward, right into his mother's arms.

"Wonderful. Mission complete." The bluenette cradled the unconscious woman carefully.

"Let her go!" He hated being so weak, powerless.

"You know, all would've been well if you two had just stayed away from each other." Glancing towards Erza's stomach, the older woman shook her head. "I had a feeling that my plan of having Juliet become the Savior would fail. However, I never imagined that you'd be the one to ruin it."

"The Savior? What do you mean?" Jellal never got an answer, for she simple lifted a hand and within seconds he felt his own consciousness slipping away before he fell to the ground.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in Mermaid Heel..._

"I thought I'd find you here." Milliana said, giving her friend a smile. Kagura didn't reply, instead continuing to stare at the sky. "Kagura?"

"I still find it hard to believe." She didn't turn around, so Milliana stepped towards the balcony against which she was leaning.

"I do too." Both remembered the night when everything changed as Ultear's words replayed in their minds.

 _"Erza's pregnant." It took a while for them to fully understand what it meant. At first, the two stared at each other in confusion; but when it clicked, their eyes widened._

 _Pregnant. A child. Erza was carrying a child. And not just any baby, no. It was Jellal's baby. Kagura's greatest enemy; the man who had murdered her brother._

 _She failed to understand how this could've happened. It was too insane to even consider and the thought of Jellal of all people becoming a father was terrifying. Unimaginable._

 _"She can't be." Milliana whispered, shaking her head._

 _"This doesn't make any sense." Kagura was speechless._

 _They kept watching as everyone else reacted to the news. They expected someone to point out how absurd it was or for Erza to deny it, but she didn't._

 _"How could this be?" The brunette muttered, but deep down, she understood._

 _She had seen the changes in Erza's personality over the last few times they had met. The ever-present sadness had been replaced by joy and the red head didn't worry as much about appearing strong. She had been more carefree, happier._

 _While it had puzzled Milliana at first, when she talked to her friend about Jellal once they were reunited, it became clear. Even before witnessing the moment between the two on the last day of the Games, she realized Erza's feelings towards him had changed._

 _When she mentioned her eternal hatred because of all that he had put them through, Erza hadn't agreed with her. She had changed the subject rather quickly and Milliana noticed the heartbroken look on her face._

 _Perhaps the moment when it all became clear was when Kagura's name was brought up. After her motivations were explained, Erza's face had twisted with fear and protectiveness. Therefore, it didn't take Milliana long to realize the reason behind it: love._

 _She suspected then, that the red head had fallen in love with Jellal. She restrained herself from telling Kagura until she was sure, but as fate had it, the latter realized it herself on July 7th._

 _"She really loves him." Kagura spoke while watching Erza and Jellal smile at each other._

 _"And he loves her too." Milliana pointed out._

 _"He still has to pay." She stared at her friend, unsure._

 _"I know he does, but how could we hurt him now?" Looking back at the happy couple, she sighed. "We can't do that to Erza."_

"I still don't think it's right." Milliana voiced her concerns once again.

"Justice isn't always right, but I'm not backing down." Kagura replied, determined.

"I'm not either, I'm just saying maybe we could try a different approach." She shook her head.

"He murdered my brother, Milliana. The way I see it, he's getting off easy." Hatred became clear as she narrowed her eyes. " **They both are. They must pay.** "

* * *

"This is pointless!" Lucy exclaimed, frustrated.

"There's nothing here." Natsu added.

For the past 20 minutes they had searched Layla's grave for any clues and there was nothing. He had even searched inside the coffin-Lucy didn't have the courage to do so- and only managed to traumatize himself.

"I don't understand. She was so sure that the answer would be here." The blonde let out a sigh while crossing her arms.

"Maybe we should search inside the house." Natsu suggested.

"Okay. Let me just take one last look." She stepped away and looked over the statue once again.

In truth, she didn't expect to find anything. However, as soon as her eyes fell on the necklace around the angel's neck, they widened.

She remembered that necklace. Had seen it before many times, since her mother would never take it off while she was alive.

Lucy wasn't sure how it came to be hidden within the angel or why it was no longer silver, but it was definitely the answer she had been seeking.

"How did I not notice that before?" While Natsu gave her a confused look, she stepped closer to the statue and lifted a hand to touch the necklace.

As soon as she did so, a wave of magic power spread across the house and the object turned back to its original color. Carefully, the celestial wizard removed it from around the angel's neck and held it in her hands.

The dragon slayer stepped closer to her and examined the object. "It smells like you."

"That's because it belonged to my mother." Lucy smiled, memories of happy times coming to mind.

"So, what are we supposed to do with it?" He wondered.

"I don't know." She turned it around in her hands, but nothing happened. She could feel magic coming from the necklace, but it wasn't like anything she knew. "Let's take it back to the guild; surely the Master can help us figure it out."

Natsu nodded in agreement. "Good idea. But first…" He extended a hand and she stared at him in confusion.

"What?" He smiled as a small blush colored his cheeks.

"You should put it on so that we don't lose it." She smiled at the idea.

"Good thinking." Noticing his hand was still extended, Lucy realized what he intended to do. Without a second thought, she passed him the necklace before turning around and lifting her golden hair.

Natsu lifted the object and tried to put it around her neck, but failed. He wasn't sure what had made him nervous, but suddenly his heart was beating too fast and his hands were shaking.

"Are you okay?" Lucy turned around upon realizing his struggle.

"I'm fine, Luce." He reassured, attempting a smile. She frowned, but chose to help him, bringing her hands to hold his as she closed the clasp around the necklace.

This only increased his nervousness, but he tried to pretend it was all fine. He couldn't have her knowing how her touch made him feel or the thoughts running through his mind at the sight of her exposed back.

For even if Lucy usually wore skimpier clothes, he had never really noticed it before. However, now that his feelings were clear, Natsu had began to notice many things and it was hard to keep his feelings at bay.

Still, he tried. She didn't need to know yet, so he tried his best to keep them hidden.

* * *

"I must admit that I'm impressed. Most people would have fallen unconscious by now." Juvia wanted to scoff, but could barely keep her eyes open.

Pain overwhelmed every cell in her body, her clothes were torn to shreds and many slashes could be seen as her captor continued to use a whip.

"You…taught me well." She managed to let out and the sound of that familiar yet horrifying laugh made her shiver.

"I certainly did." Another slash. Another loud scream echoing. "I remember you always excelled at holding up under torture."

She breathed heavily, unable to catch her breath. Each movement hurt like knives were piercing through her body and the chains continued to drain her magic. "And what…is your…plan? Just torture me to death?"

They laughed again and she wanted to cover her ears. "That depends on Lord Zeref. He'll decide your fate, although I believe after your failure there's a low chance that he'll let you live."

"He…needs me." Juvia didn't understand why, but it had become clear that Zeref had no intention of killing her.

He'd had so many opportunities, after all; and it was only his word that prevented Tartarus from finishing her off when she first infiltrated the guild.

"Maybe." Her kidnapper went silent and she had a few moments to breathe before the whip once again descended upon her flesh. "Now, are you going to say it or do I have to keep going?"

"Never. I will…never say it." So tired. She wanted nothing more than to sleep, but that wasn't possible. She knew that closing her eyes meant never opening them again and the thought was terrifying enough to push her to keep fighting.

"I fail to understand why you're being so stubborn." They shook their head, looking disappointed. "All I ask is that you apologize."

"I…refuse to…You don't own me anymore." They laughed once again and this time the slashes went deeper as more force was put into it.

For a moment, they stared at her stomach, where blood was quickly tainting her torn blue shirt. Then their eyes met her face once again and they smirked. "Are you sure about that?"

* * *

"So, what do you think, Lord Zeref? Is she the one?" Alison impatiently asked.

"Impressive. Truly impressive." The dark wizard didn't pay attention; his focus was solely on the unconscious woman in front of him.

Erza had been placed on a table in the middle of Hell's Core as he examined her carefully; a hand resting above her stomach without actually touching it. He couldn't risk harming the Savior, after all.

"Lord Zeref?" Another voice was heard, this time belonging to Kyoka. Her and Seilah had chosen to stay while he examined the red head.

"The child's power is...incredible." Zeref whispered.

"So you believe she's the Savior?" Seilah asked, to which he nodded.

"I'm sure she is the one." He removed his hand before stepping away from Erza. "It's exactly like the prophecy said."

"What shall we do, then?" Kyoka wondered.

"Erza will be kept here until it's time for the birth." Zeref smiled softly. "I can't risk anything happening to this precious child."

"And what about the plan?" Seilah eagerly asked.

"Now that we have the final piece of the puzzle, it's time to move forward." He replied before frowning. "However, we still need the names of the 3 council members that must be eliminated."

"I shall contact the former chairman, then. Surely, he must have such information." Kyoka suggested.

"Good thinking, Kyoka." Zeref praised, bringing a smile to her lips.

"Wouldn't it be easier to eliminate them all at once?" Seilah wondered.

"Jackal has been eager to pay a visit." Kyoka remembered.

"That's not absolutely necessary." The dark wizard replied. "However, if he insists on destroying the Council, I see no reason to stop him."

"Perfect." Smirking, Kyoka stepped away from them and began walking towards where Jackal was. In the meantime, Seilah, after receiving Zeref's permission, also left to check up on Keyes, who was probably experimenting with his slaves.

"What about Juliet?" Once both were gone, Alison, who had been silent through most of the conversation, spoke up.

"Now that I know she's not the Savior, I have no more use for her." Zeref whispered, shrugging.

"I'm sure she can still be useful." The bluenette protested.

"Perhaps." Then his eyes flashed red, unsettling her. "However, now that she's betrayed me, I have no other choice." They returned to normal as he sighed. "She must be eliminated."

Alison's eyes widened. "No! Please, you can't..." But it was too late. He had already brought a hand to his forehead and said the words that shattered her illusion. "I've confirmed that she isn't the Savior. You can kill her now."

* * *

2 hours passed. There were no results. The search for Juvia Lockser led nowhere as not even Warren's telepathy or Meredy's sensory link could locate her. It was a mystery, and one they were eager to solve.

Deciding to take a break and get something to eat, Gray, Ultear and the others returned to the guild hall. While everyone sat down and ordered some food, the ice mage settled for pacing around the room ever so impatiently.

"Will you just sit down?" An annoyed Gajeel asked.

"I'm not hungry." Gray replied, crossing his arms.

"Still, you should get something to eat." Levy suggested.

"You'll need your strength in order to find her." Mirajane added.

"If I find her." They were caught off guard by his words.

"Of course we will." Mirajane immediately said.

"You don't know that." Gray shook his head as a desperate look came upon his face. "For all we know she's already gone."

"I can't believe you're even considering this." Levy stared at him in disbelief.

"I figured you'd just be in denial like you idiots always are." Gajeel added, surprised.

"I know better than to deny the possibility." Dropping his arms, Gray frowned. "After what happened during the Games..." Once again his mind replayed the moment he almost lost Juvia.

"It won't happen again." Ultear vowed, standing up. "And if it does, I will reverse it just like last time." After approaching him and placing both hands on his shoulders, she gave Gray a reassuring look. "I will save her, no matter what it takes."

Unaware that she was already dealing with the consequences of performing the Last Ages spell, Gray smiled. "Thank you."

"I know how important she is to you." She tried a smile.

"I can't lose her." He finally admitted the fear that had been hunting him ever since that night.

"You won't. Don't lose hope." Surprisingly, it was Gajeel who said it.

Before anyone could add anything, there was a scream coming from outside, prompting them to stand up. As the group walked towards the entrance of the guild, they were surprised to find an unconscious Max lying on the ground with an angry Laki standing by him.

"What happened?" Levy asked, confused.

"He came out of no where and attacked us." Was the purple haired girl's response.

"To be honest, I only did that because he attacked me first." Everyone turned to the source of the voice and their eyes widened in recognition.

"Silver?" Ultear muttered, frowning, while Gray stared hopefully at the older man. "Dad?"

* * *

 _Not long before..._

The room was silent as Juvia was so exhausted that she couldn't speak anymore. Couldn't move, could barely stay awake.

"I see." She didn't look at her captor as they stopped for a moment, looking pensive. "It will be done shortly."

 _Who're they talking to?_ She wondered and the answer came a second later. Zeref. It had to be him.

"Yes. I understand." Was this it? Had he finally decided to kill her?

 _It's over._ While at first she had hoped that someone would find her, now it didn't seem likely. There would be no rescue team; she was all alone.

 _Maybe I deserve it._ Her cruel mind reminded once she thought of all the sins and lies she had carried over the years. All the people who had suffered because of her; who had died because of her.

 _You are a monster. Evil, just as they pointed out before._ She didn't want to believe it, but maybe it was true. Maybe she had always been destined for darkness, no matter how hard she tried to hold onto the light.

"Now it's time for your story to come to an end." Juvia heard her captor say as they gathered dark energy in their hands. _This was it_. There was nothing else she could do. "You know, I wonder if perhaps it was always your fate to be eliminated by me." They smiled then; cruelly yet somehow nostalgically.

"You are, after all, my greatest creation. Therefore it's only fitting that I'm the one to put an end to your pathetic life." She didn't have the energy or desire to argue, letting out a sigh before closing her eyes.

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **This got seriously dark. Like, that torture scene came out even worse than in my head. Do you have any theories on who Juvia's captor is? What will happen to her now?**

 **What about Layla's necklace? Can you guess what it contains?**

 **On another topic, what did you think of Jellal x Alison "reunion"? I debated with myself about which magic she would have for a while. I even researched rankings of the strongest magics there is and in the end Arc of Time just seemed fitting. **

**Lastly, did anyone expect the plot twist with Silver showing up? I figured it'd be pretty obvious after not even the dragon slayers could reach Juvia.**

 **Next chapter will be called** **Timing.** **There'll be more GaLe, Lyredy and Gruvia, of course. Also, Kagura and Milliana's plan will also be explained better and it's not what you're** **probably thinking.**

 **Now, time for THE QUESTION: I am considering making a WHOLE CHAPTER about the backstory of Alison and Lucas Fernandes; explaining their relationship in the past and what happened to him in the end. Of course, there'd be some moments with Juvia and Jellal too and them being a family.**

 **If you'd like me to dedicate an entire chapter to Alison and Lucas' story, comment YES. If you'd rather get fewer flashbacks into other chapters, just say NO. My decision will be based on your response, so it's all ****UP TO YOU!**

 **Can we try 6 reviews by August 15th?**


	12. Timing

**Good evening, everyone!**

 **So, I hope you don't feel like this story is stalling again. There are so many characters that I need to discuss and this time I've decided to make shorter chapters than in, say, Demons. Due to that, there will probably be more chapters than the necessary. I hope you can bear with the slower pace I'm setting here.**

 **Also, I don't know if you've read my first Fairy Tail fanfic, Connections, but all my stories make use of its premise: the fact that that human beings are always connected in some way. So keep that in mind cause throughout this book you'll learn connections between many characters; some unexpected and others obvious. I'll give you a hint of one of them: Lucy Heartfilia actually has a deep connection to Alison Fernandes. **

**Anyways, to the shoutouts:**

 **Cheschire-Kaat: don't worry, I have no intention of killing Jellal yet. So glad you're curious about Alison and Lucas' backstory, it's quite interesting.**

 **MasterGildarts: Thank god the torture scene wasn't as dark as I thought. I tried not to go into detail, but it was nearly impossible. You'll ind out the purpose of Layla's necklace in a few chapters. **

**I'm very glad you've enjoyed my portrayal of Natsu. I imagine he would be like this after figuring out that he loves Lucy and it's a good way to explain why he seems unaffected by her body throughout the series.**

 **Zerza: Thanks for voting.**

 **erikam1015: I'm the Queen of Angst, so heartless is my specialty. Worry not, Erza will be fine (eventually). **

**Guest: You flatter me, thanks so much! After seeing those votes, I will definitely make a chapter about the Fernandes family. Can't wait to show you Alison's backstory and how she ended up the way she is. And, of course, papa Fernandes needs some attention too. So far you only know his name, but be prepared to learn EVERYTHING!**

 **Mikasa-Chan: We're almost getting to the most intense parts of this story; although the whole book should be intense. Indeed, why not some more info on the Fernandes?**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

 _July 14th, X791..._

 _Gajeel sat on his bed, concentrated on song writing, when there was a knock on the door. Confused, the dragon slayer frowned while staring at it._

 _"_ _The hell?" He muttered while standing up and approaching the door._

 _"_ _Gajeel?" The familiar soft voice turned his frown into a small smile._

 _"_ _Weren't you supposed to be at the party, shrimp?" Levy shrugged._

 _"_ _It got boring." Moving past him, she entered the room. Upon glancing towards the only occupied bed, she frowned. "How's Juvia doing?"_

 _"_ _Sleeping." It was his turn to shrug._

 _"_ _How are you? I know this must be affecting you since you've known her longer." Levy turned to him with concerned brown eyes._

 _"_ _I'm fine." Gajeel replied before closing the door and crossing his arms. "Is there a reason why you're here? Cause I was busy."_

 _For a moment, she seemed confused, until her eyes settled on the notebook by his bed. "What is this?" Before he could react, she had grabbed it and began reading the open page._

 _"_ _Hey, what do you think you're doing?" He_ _angrily_ _yelled, but she ignored him._

 _"_ _This is good." She looked up from the notebook after a few seconds. "I mean, there are some grammatical errors, but overall it's really good."_

 _"_ _You think so?" Forgetting his anger for a moment, Gajeel fixed her with a hopeful look._

 _"_ _Yeah." Levy replied, smiling. "I could help you if you want."_

 _"_ _I don't need any help." He regretted the words as soon as hurt crossed her face._

 _"_ _Okay. Then I guess I'll be going now." She quickly placed the notebook back on his bed and rushed towards the door._

 _"_ _Wait." He sighed. "Stay. I could use your help."_

 _"_ _Okay." She turned to look at him, a smile back on her face._

 _For the next half hour they sat on the bed, side by side, while Levy worked on the lyrics for his new song. She insisted that his handwriting was horrible-something that would get anyone else in big trouble- and because he knew she was right, he let her write._

 _Among_ _writing, they talked about everything that happened that night and the repercussions of Juvia's secrets and Erza's pregnancy._

 _When Gajeel commented how stupid the latter was for getting herself in that situation, Levy smacked him hard on the head, causing him to groan. "What the hell was that for?"_

 _"_ _For being an insensitive idiot." She replied, glaring._

 _"_ _I'm not being insensitive. I just think it was a stupid decision." She crossed her arms and shook her head._

 _"_ _There's nothing stupid about being in love." Gajeel shrugged._

 _"_ _I wouldn't know anything about that." This caught her attention and she dropped her arms._

 _"_ _So you mean that you've never been in love?" It was a simple question that should've gotten a simple answer._

 _However, as he stared into those big brown eyes, something happened._

 _He could hear his heartbeat increasing, his breath was suddenly caught in his throat and his mind suddenly conjured strange thoughts he couldn't understand._

 _It had been like this ever since they returned from Tenrou Island. Sometimes, when he would look at her, he would find himself wondering things he'd never wondered before. He didn't know why, but something had changed._

 _"_ _Gajeel…" He hadn't even realized that he was lowering his face or that his arm had suddenly encircled her waist and was bringing her closer. Too close. What was he even doing?_

 _Levy stared at him, eyes wide, frozen. Wild thoughts ran through her mind. Was he about to kiss her? Why? He'd never tried that before. What was happening?_

 _Just as she closed her eyes and accepted whatever was about to happen, the loud sound of the door being opened made them break apart with a jump._

 _By the door stood Mirajane and Laxus, both suddenly blushing as he removed his hand from her back before raising a brow towards the couple by the bed. "What the hell are you two doing?"_

* * *

 _Present day, in Mermaid Heel..._

"They must pay." Milliana bit her lip.

"I still don't understand why we're going after Juliet. She's got nothing to do with this." Kagura gave her an incredulous look.

"Nothing? Are you serious?" The cat wizard shrugged.

"She's not a bad person. At least not as terrible as Jellal." The former disagreed.

"Weren't you just listening? She killed a woman, then nearly killed Gray Fullbuster even though he did nothing wrong." Shaking her head, Kagura frowned. "She deserves to be punished too."

"I agree, but what we have planned is a little extreme." Milliana stared at the small vial hidden in her friend's pocket.

"Perhaps, but so is murder." Kagura stood by her point.

"In a way, this is murder." The brunette pointed out.

"No, it's not. We won't be killing a living being." In truth, she wasn't entirely convinced of that. However, it was too late to back down.

The potion had been made and the plan had been set into motion. All that was left was for them to pay a visit to the Fairy Tail guild.

"We should get going." Milliana watched, still lost in thought, as she turned around and began walking towards the balcony doors.

"Are you sure that you can handle the consequences this will have?" She asked just as Kagura touched the doorknob.

"What do you mean?" Milliana sighed.

"There'll be no coming back from this. Once it's done, **nothing will reverse it**." Kagura nodded.

"I know. I am prepared to deal with the consequences." Letting out a final sigh, the brunette followed her inside the guild hall. As her mind replayed their plan, her stomach sank at the thought of what they were about to do.

* * *

 _Not much later, in Magnolia Park…._

A young couple walked through the mostly empty park; having just come back from lunch. Both were laughing as he'd just told an embarrassing childhood story.

"You're kidding!" The girl's eyes widened in surprise.

"Nope. He really did that." The man smiled nostalgically.

"He's like your little brother, isn't he?" She asked, pink hair flowing in the gentle breeze.

"Yeah." He looked at her, mesmerized by the sunlight shining in her green eyes. "Your eyes are so beautiful."

She stopped walking. "Lyon…"

"I'm sorry." He looked away while she bit her lip.

"You need to stop saying things like that now that we've agreed to be friends." During lunch, they had finally managed to talk about whatever was going on between them and she had made it clear that they should remain just friends.

"I know. I just can't help myself." A small smile came upon her face.

"I wonder where did you learn to be so…" He raised a brow.

"So what?" She shrugged.

"You know... Cheesy." Her eyes widened upon spotting something behind him.

"Meredy? What's wrong?" She didn't answer, instead pushing him and running away.

While he was confused at first, as soon as he noticed the blue haired man lying on the other side of the park, he understood.

"Jellal? Please, no!" Meredy pleaded before kneeling down by his side. She immediately lifted him into her arms and started shaking him.

"Come on, it's time to wake up. Please." Lyon could tell that she was unsettled, so he knelt down behind her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure he's fine." She didn't say anything. "He's a tough guy."

Sure enough, it didn't take long for them to hear a groan as Jellal began to wake up.

"Erza!" His eyes shot open and he jumped, startling them.

"Calm down!" Meredy pleaded while pushing him to lie down again.

"No, I…need to…Erza!" He continued to protest, so Lyon decided to help her. With their combined strength, they managed to convince Jellal to rest against Meredy's lap and he closed his eyes.

"There you go. It's okay." The pinkette gently ran her fingers through his hair while the ice mage looked away; attempting to avoid feeling jealous.

"Meredy?" Jellal whispered after a few seconds while his unfocused eyes settled on her face.

"Hey there." She smiled and he frowned.

"I need…your help." It was clear he wasn't fully conscious yet, seeing as he kept blinking. "Erza. She's…danger."

"What happened to Erza?" Meredy asked, concerned.

"She was here." He replied, confusing both.

"Who was here?" Lyon asked, settling himself by Meredy's side in other to have a clear view of the other man's face.

"You...Why are you here?" Jellal's frown deepened as he stared between the two.

"He was just keeping me company." Meredy replied quickly.

"Why? And how…you know him?" The former groaned once again upon trying to move.

"That's not important!" Lyon told him, shaking his head.

"He's right. You need to tell us what happened to Erza." The pinkette urged.

"She was…taken. I couldn't…protect her." Jellal's face was filled with regret.

"Who took her?" The ice mage asked, curious.

"It was… _her_. Alison." This caused Meredy's eyes to widen.

"So she came back?" Jellal nodded.

"Who's Alison?" Lyon asked, confused.

"No time to explain." She replied while attempting to lift the former up.

"Can you help me?" He nodded before putting his hands together. "Ice-make: snow dragon." The beautiful creature appeared and, by his command, took the half-conscious mage and began carrying him away.

The other two followed as it led them to the guild hall, where Gray and the others had just found out the identity of Juvia's captor.

* * *

"Hades?" Ultear asked, eyes wide.

"How?" Gray wondered, having a clear memory of the older mage being defeated back on Tenrou Island.

"Didn't he die, like, years ago or something?" Macao asked; him and Wabaka had gathered around the group as well as the rest of the guild.

It had been a few minutes since Gray had walked in with Silver in tow and, after a quick introduction of his father, he had began questioning the older man about his reason for being there.

When Silver had revealed to know Juvia's location and who had taken her, they were extremely happy and relieved. However, most people still failed to understand how he'd even get his hands on such information.

"He did." Silver confirmed, much to everyone's surprise.

"Then how the hell did he kidnap Juvia?" Gajeel asked, confused and frustrated.

"It doesn't make sense." Levy added, pensive.

"It's…complicated." The older man lowered his head, looking conflicted.

"Complicated how?" Ultear pushed.

"I can't tell you." He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, dad. I've been pushing you to tell us everything, so I forgot how dangerous it is for you." Gray told him, realizing how much trouble he was putting his father in.

"It's not about that, son." Silver quickly denied his thought. "They've placed a spell on me, so if I even try to tell you, I'll immediately forget it."

"Seriously?" They were stunned, and impressed. Zeref sure thought things through.

"By they, who do you mean?" Makarov asked, raising a brow.

"It's a long story." Gray replied.

"You've said that many times." Mirajane pointed out.

"We don't have time for explanations." Gajeel told her. "Finding Juvia is much more important."

"You're right." She nodded, letting out a defeated sigh.

"We should go now." Silver told everyone as a grim look came upon his face. "The longer she stays there, the higher the chance that she'll end up dead."

* * *

Gray was just about to ask his father to lead them when the guild doors were opened and in came Meredy and Lyon holding a shaky Jellal.

"Jellal? What happened?" Ultear's face immediately turned to worried and she ran towards the trio.

"He was attacked by Alison." Meredy revealed, causing many eyes to widen.

"Alison?" Gajeel frowned, trying to recall the name.

"Wait. Isn't that…" Levy realized just before Jellal said it.

"My mother." He was sitting down now, after Meredy and Lyon had helped him.

"Wait, what?" The latter asked, face paling, while many people frowned in confusion.

"She's here?" Ultear asked next, eyes widened.

"She caught me off guard. I should've known she would come back for Erza." Jellal replied, looking ashamed.

 **"So Alison Fernandes is still alive?" Makarov whispered, interested.**

"And where is Erza?" Gray asked, afraid of the answer.

"She's gone." The quiet whisper of a broken man.

"Oh, no." Levy's hands flew to her mouth as she wondered what could've happened to the red head.

"He won't kill her." Silver whispered, lost in thought.

"What do you mean?" Ultear turned to him in confusion.

"Zeref. He needs her alive." She raised a brow.

"He tried to kill her only a few days ago." This earned many shocked gasps.

"What? When did that happen?" Lyon's questions were ignored.

"Things changed. He needs her because…the Savior." Silver froze, prompting Gray to stare at him worriedly.

"Dad?" The older man blinked. "What was I saying?"

"You said something about a Savior." Makarov replied, looking interested.

"Did I? I don't remember that." Silver appeared to be genuinely confused.

"So this is the spell Zeref has on him." Levy whispered, realizing.

"Anyways, I came here to tell you about Juvia. I know who took her and where." Gray nodded.

"I know, dad. You already told us that Hades took her." While Silver frowned, clearly confused, Ultear took charge.

"We need to find her, and fast." Many people agreed.

"What about Erza?" Jellal asked, worried.

"He won't harm her, but I'm certain he will eliminate Juvia." The older man told him.

"Then let's go!" Gray said, reaching the guild doors in record time. "Are you all coming?"

"Yeah." Gajeel and Levy were the first to follow him, then Wendy-they knew it was best to have a healer nearby-, then Ultear and Meredy.

"I'll join you." Jellal said just before attempting to stand up.

"Are you sure?" Ultear wondered, concerned.

"I am." Taking a deep breath, he tried to chase away dark thoughts of Erza's dead body. "I can worry about Ezra later. Juliet needs me now."

"I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'm coming too." Lyon spoke next before approaching the group by the door.

"You can't." Meredy shook her head.

"I care about Juvia, so, I'm going." Considering they didn't have time to keep arguing, Gray let out a sigh. "Fine. Just try to keep up."

With the decision made, they quickly followed Silver outside before the ice mage surprised them by using teleportation magic to take them exactly where Juvia was.

It truly was a miracle how they managed to arrive there in mere seconds. However, they had no idea of the hell that awaited inside that cave in the middle of no where.

* * *

Juvia was just about to accept her fate when another familiar voice joined Hades'. _I have you again and I'll never let you go._ Her heart tightened. Jellal. Her brother, her family. How could she leave him when they had just been reunited?

Then there was Gray. _I can't lose you too._ He had told her that after the last day of the Games, when both of them had almost died. Well, he had died, but for some miraculous reason he had returned to her. How could she break her promise to always be by his side?

 _You're my best friend. Life wouldn't be the same without you._ Gajeel. Her best friend and the person she trusted most in this world. Despite his iron exterior, she knew how much he cared.

Tears streamed down her face as she thought of all the people she would let down if she allowed Hades to kill her.

Ultear and Meredy, her family. Lucy, her first girl friend. Erza, whom she owed so much. And the baby growing inside her; a child who shared the same DNA as the water mage. She wanted to meet her niece or nephew, to raise them alongside her brother and watch them grow into a powerful wizard. _She didn't want to go._

Determined to live for all the people she loved, Juvia concentrated on gathering magic power, trying to ignore the pain and exhaustion. Any other mage would probably die from this, but she wasn't a normal mage.

She was a demon slayer and that placed her power level on the same as dragon slayers. The demon blood running through her veins allowed her endure it all as she felt her magic being released.

The ever present necklace on her neck shattered as a dark cloud surrounded the entire room and Hades' eyes widened. "She can use magic. But how?"

He didn't have time to wonder because soon enough the cloud was enveloping him, causing the dark ball on his hand to disappear. "You! What are you…doing?" He coughed, raising a hand to his chest.

Juvia watched as he dropped to his knees, continuing to cough and spit blood as his veins were filled with poison.

It was distressing and heartbreaking. Even after everything he had done; from taking her away from her family to raising her to become a killer and then torturing her for hours; she didn't want to hurt him. _Not like that_.

That was exactly why she hated using her demon slaying powers. They could cause a person's death in the cruelest, most painful way; and she didn't think anyone deserved such fate.

"I'm sorry." She whispered once his lifeless body dropped to the floor.

* * *

"Can you hear her?" Gray asked once they were inside the cave after having managed to pass through the magical barrier around it.

"Yeah." Gajeel flinched.

"She's crying." Wendy said, making Gray's heart tighten.

"She's been alone all this time. God, how could I let this happen?" Jellal placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Trust me, I know exactly how you're feeling." Ultear spoke next, frowning.

"I can't feel Hades' power anymore." Their eyes widened.

"How can that be?" Meredy whispered, confused.

"Let's just hurry." Gajeel urged everyone while speeding up. Him and Wendy led the others towards a dark hallway until they reached a smaller cave. There, lying on a rock, clothes torn and body covered in slashes and blood, was Juvia Lockser.

"Juvia!" Gray yelled as soon as he saw her.

"Oh, no." Levy's face paled upon spotting the injured mage.

The ice mage quickly rushed to his girlfriend's side. "I am so sorry." He whispered upon noticing the silent tears streaming down her face.

"Gray." She smiled upon noticing him and tried to lift a hand to touch his face, but was stopped by the chains around her wrists. "I hoped…you'd come."

"Hey, look at me. Don't close your eyes." He pleaded while Gajeel worked on undoing them.

"Come on, Wendy." Jellal rushed towards them with Wendy in tow while Silver stood by the door; keeping watch.

"Hurry!" Gray told the little girl once she stood by his side.

"Sorry, sorry." She whispered before working her magic.

Because Juvia's injuries were too many and too deep, she wasn't able to heal them all; but after a few minutes the water mage felt well enough to attempt to sit.

"Whoa, careful." Gray whispered while helping her.

"Asuka. She was…" He interrupted her.

"She's fine. She's back at the guild." Relief crossed her face and she nodded before shivering. "Here, you can have my…" Gray frowned upon noticing that his clothes had somehow disappeared.

"You can't ever keep them on, can you?" Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"Here." Jellal approached the couple before handing Juvia his cape.

"Thank you." She smiled gratefully while Gray carefully put it around her.

"Of course." Brother and sister shared smiles while she was lifted into the ice mage's arms.

Meanwhile, Ultear approached the group. "We've confirmed that Hades is dead."

"So we should get going before Tartarus decide to show up." Meredy added.

"Fine by me." Gray whispered, holding onto Juvia.

They started moving back towards the cave entrance. Jellal and Wendy went first, then Ultear, Meredy and Lyon and last were Gray, Gajeel and Levy.

Just before they could reach it, though, they felt the power. Hades' power.

"The hell?" Gajeel said, turning around.

"How is this possible? He was dead!" Ultear yelled while stepping in front of Meredy. Lyon did the same and they shared weird looks.

"You need to get out of here now!" Silver told everyone while staring at Hades.

"You're too late." The latter whispered and before they knew it, he had gathered dark energy in his hands and was shooting it towards Gray, aiming for Juvia.

"Watch out!" Gajeel yelled in advance, pushing the ice mage aside without a second thought.

Thankfully, Gray had quick reflexes, so he was able to encase the floor in ice to brace the fall while his arms encircled Juvia tightly.

The water mage barely noticed this; for her attention was solely focused on her best friend. Identical screams left her mouth and Levy's once the dragon slayer fell to the ground. "Gajeel!"

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **What did you think of the GaLe flashback? Too cliche?**

 **Did anyone expect Kagura to actually target Juvia? Should be obvious if you consider the saying "an eye for an eye".**

 **Did you guys like the Lyredy + Jellal scene? I just love writing this trio!**

 **What about the ones with Silver? Were you surprised by his reveal that Hades is the one who kidnapped Juvia? I bet no one was expecting her to actually get the upper hand and defeat him. To be honest, my original plan was to have everyone arrive just in time to save her, but I chose not to follow that cliche. Also, I wanted to give you some more of her demon-slaying powers cause they're so cool!**

 **Lastly, what will happen now? Who will disappear and who will return?**

 **Next chapter will be called Stab Me In The Heart. You can count on some Gruvia and GaLe (Angst), more on Zeref and Alison's relationship, the appearance of a Tartarus member and what is sure to be an unexpected PLOT TWIST. **

**I'm going to Paris this weekend, so I won't have time to finish it by Wednesday. I'll try to have it posted by Friday, ok? Can we try 6 reviews by then?**


	13. Next Update

**(Not really a chapter)**

 **Hey, everyone!**

 **Oh My Gosh, it's been forever since I updated this story. I am so sorry about that.**

 **Like I said in chapter 1 of 8 Colors Why I Love You, inspiration can't really be forced. I spent two weeks trying to come up with chapter 13 and nothing came. **

**So I chose to take a break and focus on something else instead.**

 **However, for some reason, I managed to come back this weekend and now it is almost done. There are only two scenes left plus reviewing it.**

 **I guess I should have it posted by Tuesday at most, so yay! **

**Again, I am truly sorry. For those who are also writers, I'm sure you understand my struggle.**

 **At least I have tried and managed to succeed at last.**

 **I wish you all have a wonderful day!**

 **Ps: I'm leaving here the answer to the questions that Zerza brought up cause they're really important and should help you understand the story better. **

**Q1: I wonder, does the entire guild know of Erza's pregnancy?**

A: So far no one else knows about Erza's pregnancy; they're all very confused as to why Jellal is infiltrating the guild, but assume he's just decided to be with her. Of course, Erza has made it clear that explanations would be made once she was ready.

 **Q 2: How exactly did fairy tail manage to find the cave though?**

A: It was Silver who found the cave. He knew its location after having heard about it from Tartarus. They're not aware he knows this, though. (You know how villains sometimes tend to underestimate their underlings, so assume they forgot about his demon slayer hearing for a moment)

 **Q3: And why are they leaving without Erza and acting like everything is okay?**

A: Everyone's more focused on Juvia now, not Erza. After all, she's the one in mortal peril (they believed Silver when he made clear Erza wouldn't be harmed by Zeref). So their first step is to save Juvia, then they'll seek Erza. They didn't expect it to take long, but I'm afraid a hard battle is ahead.

 **Q4: I wonder how none of the guild members are asking questions that are likehow is Erza the savior? Or why would they go after Erza?**

A: For now, assume that everyone in the guild is just SUPER confused, but also aware that getting both girls to safety is essential before they can begin a long line of questioning.


	14. Stab Me In The Heart

**Hello, people.**

 **Its been a long time. Sorry about that. I had trouble with this chapter, as I've said before.**

 **Now that it's finally finished, I couldn't wait to share it with you. I really like it because of all the interactions and new info thrown in here. Also, that last scene was my favorite one to write.**

 **First, to the shoutouts:**

 **Guest : Thanks. I'm glad you like it!**

 **MasterGildarts : Awww I really like your take on GaLe's flashback. Yep, there are always too many interruptions.**

 **Kagura and Milliana can't really target Jellal since it would be harmful to Erza and the baby.**

 **I wanted to add in some girl power and have Juvia be more of the strong and independent woman back from Phantom Lord. They will, but I'm afraid it will take a while.**

 **Mikasa-Chan : I'm afraid that will take a good while. At lest here you get more info on Alison's past and the reasons why she is the way she is. **

**Zerza : I already answered all of your questions. Thanks for reviewing. **

**Happy reading, everyone!**

* * *

 _"Don't feel insecure just because you lost! We are Fairy Tail! We're from the guild that doesn't know when to stop! We won't survive unless we keep running!"_

 ** _-Natsu Dragneel_**

* * *

 _Winter of X765..._

 _"Lord Zeref?" He looked back at the bluenette who had just entered Tartarus' Hell Core._

 _"Alison. I didn't think you'd be back so soon." Zeref replied, frowning in confusion._

 _"I know, milord. I apologise for the intrusion, but there is something I must tell you." He didn't like that one bit._

 _"Is something wrong?" She was clearly nervous and scared._

 _"Not exactly." Alison looked away, biting her lip._

 _"Is this about Lucas Fernandes?" She confirmed with a nod. "Don't tell me he's beginning to suspect you."_

 _"No, milord. He remains clueless to my motives." A relived look crossed his face._

 _"Then why do you look so nervous? What happened?" She struggled with how to say it._

 _"I was supposed to get close to him." Alison whispered. "But I may have gotten too close."_

 _"What do you mean?" Zeref asked just before it clicked. "You fell in love with him."_

 _"I'm sorry, lord Zeref. I didn't intend to, but..." She bit her lip once again. "He's just so..."_

 _"I was afraid this would happen. But it shouldn't be a problem as long as you remember the real reason why you were sent after him." He replied rather gently. She was unaware, but he knew exactly what it felt like to be in love._

 _"I do, of course." There was something more; he could tell._

 _"What are you not telling me?" His eyes flashed red with anger and impatience._

 _Alison took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."_

 _Silence. Zeref's eyes widened. Pregnant? With a child? Now that he had not expected._

 _"Are you absolute certain?" She nodded._

 _"I already told Lucas and he seems happy. He told me he loves me and will stay by my side." A smile came upon her face._

 _"That could be used to our advantage." Zeref spoke after a few minutes._

 _"How so?" She brought both hands to rest protectively on her stomach, afraid of the answer._

 _"Now that you're carrying his child, he won't have any reasons to suspect you any longer." Zeref approached her. "This means that your mission can be carried out without trouble."_

 _"What shall I do them, milord? What's the next step?" He took a piece of paper from his pocket._

 _"Those are the names of your newest targets. They should be eliminated within the next six months." Alison took it and began reading the names. When it came to the second last, her eyes widened._

 _" **Nova Dreyar**? Makarov Dreyar's daughter-in-law?" Everyone knew of the wizard saint who ruled over Fairy Tail._

 _"She's becoming stronger every day and some suspect she might one day become one of the wizard saints." Zeref replied._

 _"But Makarov already is one. Why not kill him?" She wondered._

 _ **"There is one seat left and I wish for someone else to take it."** He explained, smirking. Knowing that arguing was of no use, Alison followed his orders with precision and Nova's mysterious death became the biggest news since the birth of Laxus Dreyar a few years before._

* * *

 _Present day..._

Natsu and Lucy returned to the guild earlier than expected. It was around 4 PM when they arrived at the familiar doors, but much to their surprises, the place was almost empty.

"Where is everyone?" The dragon slayer asked, looking for Gray or Erza.

"I'm glad to see you two are back." Makarov greeted them.

"Is everything okay, Master?" Lucy wondered, quickly realizing he seemed worried.

"Where is Erza? And Gray?" Natsu impatiently asked.

"I'm afraid to tell you that Erza has been kidnapped." Their jaws dropped.

"Say what?" Natsu asked.

"By whom? How? When?" Lucy began to question the master.

"This morning. By a woman named of Alison Fernandes." Both gasped. "So she came back for Erza?"

"That's not good." Natsu worriedly said.

Seeing their reactions, Makarov realised the truth. "Listen, I need you to tell me everything you know about this woman." The older man told them firmly. "It is the only way I can help you find Erza."

"It's not really our place to tell." The blonde whispered.

"Jellal should be the one filing you in. Where is he?" The dragon slayer looked around the guild hall, frowning. "He is on a mission, alongside Gray, Gajeel, Levy and Wendy."

"So they've gone to rescue Erza?" Lucy asked for confirmation at the same time as Natsu muttered frustratingly "Without us?"

"No, they've actually gone to rescue Juvia." Makarov sighed. "Juvia?"

"She was kidnapped too?" Natsu's eyes were as wide as can be.

"It is complicated." Master answered and they nodded, understanding. Best to await for their friends' return so that they could learn the whole truth.

Therefore, after Lucy have him her mother's necklace and a quick explanation to where they'd gone to, the couple sat down by the bar and ordered drinks.

Half an hour later, as they were discussing Alison and her motives, two unexpected visitors entered the guild hall.

"Kagura?" Lucy whispered, confused.

"What are they doing here?" Natsu was confused by the two Mermaid Heel members' sudden appearance.

"Probably searching for Erza." She stood up and approached the two mages. He watched as she explained that Erza wasn't there at the moment and invited them to sit down for a drink, to which Kagura surprisingly agreed.

Upon glancing towards where Makarov was sitting with Freed while both examined Layla's necklace, Natsu suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Strange." He whispered, frowning.

He didn't have time to wonder, though, for soon enough Kagura and Milliana were joining him on the table and so his attention was shifted towards them.

However, the eerie feeling remained and Natsu knew that, whatever was inside that necklace, would bring nothing good.

* * *

 _In the infirmary…_

"A big sister?" Asuka Connell frowned in confusion while her parents smiled.

"Yes, sweetheart." Alzack replied while bringing Bisca closer.

"But where is the baby?" The child started looking around the room, confused.

"It will take a while before the baby arrives." She frowned even more.

"And who's going to bring it? Is it the master?" The couple chuckled.

"No, honey." Bisca reached for her and the little girl eagerly accepted her embrace. "The baby is growing in here and when it's time, it will come out." She brought Asuka's hand to her stomach.

"I don't understand." The parents shared a look.

"You don't need to worry about understanding, okay? This is grown up stuff." Alzack told her.

"All you need to know is that, in a few months, you'll become a big sister." Bisca smiled at the thought.

"A few months? Why can't the baby get here now?" Asuka inquired, crossing her arms and pouting.

"I'm afraid these things take time, sweetheart." Her father explained.

"Is the baby really here, mamma?" She brought both hands to press against Bisca's stomach. Upon receiving a confirming nod, she lowered her head and whispered: "Listen, baby, I am your big sister, so you have to follow my orders. And I am ordering you to come now!"

Alzack and Bisca stared at each other in shock before bursting into laughter, unable to control themselves.

"I love you so much!" The latter brought Asuka for a tight embrace, to which the little girl complained. "Too tight, mamma!"

"She'll make a great sister." Alzack added while joining the embrace and Bisca smiled.

"Yes, she will. We are so lucky." The couple lesnt in for a soft kiss and that was how Porlyusica found them moments later: the true picture of happiness.

* * *

 _Not long before..._

"Gajeel!" Juvia and Levy screamed in unison while the others watched in horror.

"What is this?" Hades stared at the scene in confusion and annoyance.

"Is he okay?" Gray asked the petit bluenette.

"He's still breathing." Levy let out a reliever sigh after checking the dragon slayer's pulse.

"No matter. I will simply have to try again." Overhearing Hades' whisper, Wendy shouted a warning just before another ball containing dark enegery was shot towards Juvia.

"No, you won't." Jellal was the one who saved her this time, but thankfully he used his magic to block the spell and wasn't harmed.

"You need to get out of here." Silver called while coming in front of the group. "Let me handle him."

"No. You don't know Hades as well as I do." Ultear replied, giving her former master a firm stare. "If anyone's going to defeat him, it will be me."

"The two of us together." Meredy said, stepping away from Lyon's protections— to which the ice mage frowned— and coming to her mother's side.

"You have to get her out of here." Meanwhile, Jellal whispered to Gray, stepping in front of the couple.

"Don't have to tell me twice." The ice mage replied, standing up.

"No, we can't." Juvia protested. "Gajeel..." Both glanced towards where Levy was attempting to wake the dragon slayer up.

"He'll be fine. He's a tough guy." Gray tried to reassure her, knowing it wasn't enough.

"But he got hurt... because of me." New tears were streaming down her face and he sighed. He knew all too well how she was feeling, but they didn't have time to dwell on it.

So he said nothing as they quickly reached the entrance of the cave and stepped out of it.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hades screamed and tried to attack them again, but Ultear blocked it. "Don't even think about it."

"Tell me, Ultear, do you really think that you can defeat me?" He raised a brow. "Don't you remember that I made you what you are?"

"That couldn't be further from the truth." Lyon surprised everyone by saying. "If anyone's made her what she is, it was Ur."

"Lyon..." Ultear gave him a surprised look.

"I know she would be proud of you." For a moment they stared at each other; her gratefully and him reassuringly. It was in that moment, though, that Hades chose to elaminate them and he would've succeeded if it wasn't for Silver.

"We can't afford to be distracted now." He gave the half siblings a stern look and both nodded.

"You're right." Ultear said before turning to Meredy. "Why don't you go with Lyon? He can protect you."

Of course, she was clueless to the complications of their relationship, so when the two of them blushed, she didn't think much of it.

"I'm not leaving you." The pinkette protested. "Besides, you're not the only who has unfinished business with Master Hades."

"Don't be reckless, Meredy." Jellal warned from the other side of the cave.

"She's not." Lyon said, smiling. "She's a strong, powerful wizard and we shouldn't forget that."

"Thank you." Meredy smiled, turning to her adoptive mother. "Let me help you with this, Ultear. You've done so much for me, so I want to help you."

"You're so sweet." Ultear couldn't help but to smile. "But this is dangerous. I can't let any harm come to you."

While mother and daughter were having their moment, the enemy attacked again. Silver saved their lives once more and decided to focus on Hades while they sorted everything out.

* * *

"Jellal, can you help us here?" Levy called while she and Wendy tried to lift Gajeel up.

"Sure." He diverted his attention from his comrades and approached the duo.

"I've been trying to heal him, but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong." The young girl explained.

"I want to believe that he was just knocked out, but something didn't feel right about that spell." The petit bluenette added.

"We can figure that out later." Jellal told them before using water to encase the dragon slayer.

The two girls followed him out of the cave, stopping for a moment to watch the battle ahead.

Ultear, Meredy, Lyon and Silver seemed holding their own against Hades. However, the older mage was clearly skilled and each attack he sent appeared to be deadly.

"How can he still be here?" Jellal wondered yet again, remembering that Grimoire Heart's former master had benergy killed by Zeref years before.

"Come on." Levy called, placing a hand on his arm.

"Be careful, please." He whispered, staring towards his comrades, before leaving them.

Once he settled the unconscious Gajeel on the ground, Levy quickly sat down by the man's side before bringing his head to her lap.

"I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do." Wendy regretfully told her.

"I know." The bluenette replied, swallowing hard. It was clear that she was fighting against tears and, as Jellal noticed the way she was watching the dragon slayer, he came to a realisation.

"You're in love with him." The words came out before he could stop himself.

"What?" She shrieked, staring at him wide eyed.

"I didn't mean to..." He stopped, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm sorry."

She sighed. "It's fine." There was an awkward silence as she gently ran her fingers through Gajeel's dark hair while Jellal and Wendy sat down.

"How did you know?" Levy asked after a few awkward minutes.

"The way you were looking at him." He answered, smiling bitterly. "I know it too well."

"You're thinking about Erza, aren't you?" She quickly realized.

"I'm always thinking about her." Jellal replied, sighing.

"I'm sure she will be okay." Wendy tried to reassure him.

"Remember what Silver said. Zeref won't harm her." Levy added.

"I still failed to protect her." He frowned.

"I'm sure you did your best." The petit bluenette told him gently.

He didn't reply as his mind was overcome of thoughts about the scarlet haired warrior whom he loved.

* * *

While Jellal closed his eyes, clearly lost in thought, and Levy continued to run her fingers through Gajeel's hair, clearly worried; Wendy's dragon slayer hearing picked up on an interesting conversation happening not far from there.

As much as the young girl knew eavesdropping wasn't right, she couldn't help but to overhear it.

"If anyone should apologize it's me." Juvia was saying.

"We've been over this, Juvia." Gray replied, taking her hand. "I forgive you."

"But I can't forgive myself." Tears streamed down her face. "I should've never lied to you."

"I guess we both have things to work on." Gray sighed. "But we'll do it together, ok?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He carefully took her in his arms, wrapping her in a tight hug. "And I promise that I will never leave you again."

"You'd better not." Juvia closed her eyes, enjoying the safety of being in his arms. "Because I can't live without you."

Gray remembered when he had said those same words on the night they had almost lost each other for good. "I can't live without you either." Tightening his arms around her, he prayed that they would never have to.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in E.R.A…_

"You need to stop this, Doranbolt!" Lahar scolded his friend, shaking his head.

"But we're so close. We can catch him; I'm sure of it." Doranbolt replied while rummaging through some papers in his messy desk.

"I already told you that won't happen." The former disagreed. "Even if that man is Jellal, there is no way we could bring him in."

"So you'd rather allow Fairy Tail to keep covering up for an escaped convict?" Lahar sighed.

"There is nothing we can do. Makarov has already made clear that he's to be called Mystogan, and two of the Wizard Saints have validated his word." He explained, to which his friend frowned.

"Two of them?" He nodded. "Yes. Warrod Sequen, the 4th prince of Ishgal, has joined Jura in supporting Makarov."

Dorenbolt shook his head, disbelief clear on his face. "I can't believe they're actually protecting Jellal. Why would they do that?"

"I'd like to find that out as well, but for now all we can do is follow our orders." Lahar replied, giving him a sympathetic look.

"And what about Juliet Fernandes? Can't we interview her like I planned on the night of the party?" Both winced at the memory of the Grand Ball, when Dorenbolt was found unconscious on the ground after being hit by Erza Scarlet. With no proof to corroborate his story, they had decided to pretend as if it'd never happened.

"I don't know." For a moment, Lahar was silent, pensive. "I suppose we could, but I'll need to ask the Council."

"She may be our only chance at uncovering Jellal." The former reminded.

"I'll see what I can do." His friend nodded. "In the meantime, you should get some rest. You've been working on this case for weeks. It's time to take a break."

Dorenbolt gave a defeated sigh. "Thanks. I'll go back home." After standing up and shaking his friend's hand, he walked out of the door, leaving behind a chaotic desk.

This caused Lahar to sigh once again before he began gathering the papers to organize them. As he came across a picture of 5-years-old Juliet Fernandes, he couldn't help but wonder if Fairy Tail's own water mage could truly be the missing girl.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me." Ultear exclaimed, frustrated.

"That did nothing?" Meredy wondered, scared.

"He truly is a formidable foe." Lyon added, panting.

"I warned you to leave." Silver told them.

"Why don't you leave, then?" Ultear snapped back.

"You haven't been exactly helpful." The ice mage told him and it was true. While they had been fighting Hades, he had spent most of the time with a hand in his forehead, trying to use telepathic magic as he told them.

"I already told you, I am trying to contact Keyes." Silver told them for the millionth time.

"And I already told you that I don't care." Ultear said while blocking another attack with ice magic.

"Who's this Keyes guys anyways?" Meredy asked, frowning.

"All you've said is that he's the one controlling Hades." Lyon pointed out.

"I can't say more." Silver's frown deepened and he let out a frustrated scream. "Damn it! Why can't he face me instead of hiding behind his puppets?"

"A puppet, you say?" Hades chuckled, amused.

"Okay, I am so done with you." Turning to Meredy, Ultear came up with a bright idea. "Shall we try an unison raid?"

The pinkette's eyes widened. "That's a great idea, Ultear."

Lyon watched with a smile as mother and daughter took each other's hand and closed their eyes before chanting the spell.

A surge of power went through the entire cave as Hades was surrounded by multiple swords enhanced by Ultear's time magic.

* * *

"What was that?" Gray and Juvia immediately pulled apart upon sensing the immense magic power.

"I don't know." He frowned. "Do you want to check it out?"

"Yeah. I'm worried about Lyon and Ultear." Remembering that her brother was where it had probably come from, Juvia quickly stood up, catching him off guard.

"Let's go." Gray shook his head.

"You shouldn't be standing yet." He wrapped an arm around her before putting the other behind her legs so that he could lift her up.

"That's not necessary, darling." She protested.

"I know, but I'm not taking any chances." His determination to protect her brought up overwhelming feelings and she gently stroke his cheek.

"I love you so much." Already used to her sudden confessions, Gray smiled.

"I love you too." Forgetting where they were for a moment, the couple began leaning in for a kiss until the clearing of a throat made them pull apart.

"Sorry." Jellal looked nothing short of uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" Juvia eyes him worriedly.

"I don't think I will be until I know Erza's alright." She nodded, understanding.

"We'll find her. I promise." Gray spoke a second later.

"Of course. We just need to get out of here first." Jellal nodded.

"Let's make sure the others are okay before that." The three of them moved towards the cave where Juvia had been found, hearts squeezing in fear.

* * *

Upon arriving, they were relieved to notice that the body lying on the ground was Hades and the others seemed to be doing fine.

"Are you guys okay?" Gray asked, looking between Lyon, who was panting, and Ultear, who was on her knees, looking exhausted."We'll be fine."

"I'm glad you've managed to defeat Hades." Jellal cast his comrades a smile.

"Yes, but it's not over yet." Silver spoke.

"What do you mean, dad?" Sure enough, mere seconds after that Hades began to move and it wasn't long before he stood in front of them once again.

"No." Ultear whispered, face devoid of color.

"How can this be?" Jellal wondered.

"Is he immortal or something?" Lyon said, frustrated.

"Only Lord Zeref has been gifted with immortality." The voice was sinister and it made them shiver.

"Who's there?" Gray called, looking around the room in suspicion.

"I was starting to think that you wouldn't show up." Silver said, crossing his arms.

"I couldn't resist." The figure removed their hood, revealing a skeleton face that made Meredy let out a terrified scream.

"What the hell?" Lyon's face paled.

"This power...it can't be." Gray's eyes widened once he recognized the familiar feeling of terror that only Deliora had brought.

* * *

"This is Keyes." Silver introduced. "He's one of the demons from the books of Zeref and the one controlling Hades."

"Wait, what?" Meredy screamed.

"Not good." Ultear panted, trying to keep standing.

"So he's from Tartaros." Jellal muttered.

"Shall I kill them?" Hades asked.

"No, I have a much better ending planned for their stories." Keyes was smirking and it sent another shiver down their spines.

"The only story ending here will be yours." Silver quickly attacked the demon, who merely laughed. "Don't be foolish, Silver."

"So if we take him down, Hades will be eliminated as well?" Ultear turned to the older ice mage for confirmation.

"That's right." Determined looks came upon everyone's faces.

"Let's do it, then." Juvia said, getting out of Gray's arms.

"You're not doing anything." He scolded, and Jellal quickly joined.

"You should stay with Levy and Wendy since you're in no condition to fight." Before she could protest, Keyes spoke again.

"No, the girl should stay here." He approached them and they were unable to move for some reason. "After all, I have a surprise prepared for you."

"I don't like the sound of that." Meredy whispered.

"What have you done?" Silver yelled. The look in the skeleton's eyes was familiar and he knew it meant nothing good.

"I thought it was a good time for a family reunion." Before anyone could question his response, a new figure appeared.

The man had light blue hair, midnight blue eyes and pale skin. Juvia and Jellal let out equal gasps as their eyes widened. "Father?"

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **Did you like the Zeref x Alison flashback and getting to learn more about her backstory?**

 **I totally didn't plan to include Laxus' mom in there, but I needed Alison to kill someone we already know and she was the only character that would fit with the timeline.**

 **What about all of the angst? GaLe fans, how are you holding up? I'm afraid to tell you that Gajeel's condition is worse than anyone could've imagined.**

 **Was the fight against Hades okay? I'm not the best when it comes to action scenes, so I wasn't so sure about it.**

 **Same for fluff. Did you enjoy Alzack and Bisca telling Asuka about the baby? I decided to include them more in the story since they're so cute yet sadly underrated.**

 **Lastly, what did you think of the plot twist with Lucas showing up? I know it's overused considering that Silver's there too, but I really wanted to make his reunion with Juvia and Jellal.**

 **Next chapter will be called The Price Of Love. It will focus on Alison and Lucas' backstory, mostly from his point of view. You'll get to learn how they met and fell in love and how it ended.**

 **I want to say that I'll post it by next Wednesday, but since I'm currently working on a short story and a one-shot, I don't think it will be possible. ****So let's try 5 reviews by July 22nd?**


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